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Batavia man who took case to trial avoids second felony conviction

By Howard B. Owens

A Batavia resident accused of committing crimes while reportedly under the influence of bath salts over the summer avoided a felony conviction Wednesday after a Genesee County jury found him not guilty of the higher charges.

Bradley C. Broadbent was found guilty on five misdemeanor counts, but by avoiding the felony convictions he is no longer looking at up to 15 years in prison as a second felony offender.

The jury found Broadbent guilty of two counts of criminal mischief, 4th, two counts of criminal trespass, 2nd, and petit larceny.

He was acquitted on the charges of criminal trespass, 3rd, and second-degree burglary.

Last month Broadbent turned down a plea deal and elected to take his chances with a jury.

Because the 32-year-old Broadbent has a prior violent felony conviction, the best deal District Attorney Lawrence Friedman could offer Broadbent was a minimum of five years in prison with a guilty plea to attempted burglary, 2nd, a Class D felony.

Broadbent was accused of breaking into bathrooms of a building on Liberty Street one day in July and later that day he reportedly climbed atop a roof on Hutchins Street and needed emergency responder assistance to be talked off it. That night, he reportedly escaped from UMMC's emergency room and was accused of breaking into a home on Tracy Avenue.

Broadbent's family spoke with the media at the time about his arrest because they were concerned that bath salts had derailed his attempt to get his life back in order after getting out of jail on a previous charge.

Christopher Putnam

I would like to commend the jury in this case on not sending this man to prison. Its clear that he has issues with drugs, but i dont see anywhere in the case where he actually committed violence. Hopefully he can dig his way out of the hole that drugs have created in his life with the support of his family.

Feb 8, 2013, 9:55am Permalink
Henry Yasses

I would have given him 15-20 yreas as a felon, 2nd offence. There is an old saying "no one made him do it put himself", what ever the reason. YOU DO THE CRIME, YOU DO THE TIME, PERIOD

Feb 8, 2013, 10:31am Permalink

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