Sentencing of Ex-CYA Instructor Postponed

A former instructor at a youth prison in Camarillo was ordered Friday to undergo a 90-day psychological evaluation, a decision that postpones his sentencing for sexually assaulting two teenage female wards.

Bradley Gardner, 42, pleaded guilty last month to three charges of having unlawful oral sex with the girls, ages 16 and 17, between 1996 and 1998.

After listening to arguments from the prosecutor and defense attorney, Ventura County Superior Court Judge Bruce A. Clark decided he needed additional information before issuing a sentence.

Clark said he wants to know whether Gardner, a Camarillo resident and former industrial arts teacher at the California Youth Authority’s Ventura School, poses a risk to other young women.

Clark ordered Gardner sent to the California Department of Corrections for a three-month psychological screening. At the end of the assessment, officials will recommend whether Gardner should be held in a state prison or Ventura County Jail, or placed on probation.

Outside the courtroom, attorneys on both sides called the decision reasonable.

Prosecutor Linda Groberg had argued for a maximum prison term of four years and four months, contending Gardner abused his authority and took advantage of two girls less than half his age.

“We have a defendant who is in a position of trust,” Groberg argued. “There is no excuse for his conduct.”

But defense attorney Jorge Alvarado told the judge his client is remorseful and deserves a chance to right his wrongs. The lawyer said neither victim wants to see Gardner go to prison.

“We ask the court to temper its judgment with mercy in this case,” Alvarado said, suggesting his client be placed on house arrest and given five years’ probation.

Alvarado also recommended Gardner perform 2,000 hours of community service.

Gardner is the only California Youth Authority employee to face criminal charges for engaging in sexual acts with juvenile wards.

Fifteen employees at the scandal-plagued facility have been fired or forced to resign for allegedly having improper relations with inmates, officials have confirmed.

Six cases were referred to the district attorney’s office for prosecution but officials say they did not result in charges because of a lack of evidence and other legal problems.

Arrested Jan. 27, Gardner did not enter a plea for several months as the defense pressed prosecutors for hundreds of pages of documents tied to the case.

Gardner and his lawyer sought a 103-page state report on alleged mismanagement and sexual misconduct at the Ventura School.

His request was denied after the judge ruled the report was not relevant to Gardner’s sex-assault case.