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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — An epileptic Rhode Island man whose doctor told him not to drive was sentenced Thursday to five years of probation for fatally striking a Navy base police detective with a truck.
Alan Bradley, 54, of Middletown, was ordered to serve his first year of probation on home confinement with electronic monitoring.
Bradley, a civilian Navy employee, was driving a government pickup truck on Naval Station Newport on Sept. 26, 2013, when he struck Frank Lema, of Middletown, who was walking. Bradley was convicted in June of reckless operation of a motor vehicle resulting in death.
Austin Lema, one of the victim's five children, told WPRI-TV after sentencing that he was relieved that Bradley had been convicted but surprised by the federal judge's sentence.
"At this point it's very frustrating," Austin Lema said. "This is someone who shouldn't have been driving."
Prosecutors had recommended that Bradley serve four years in prison.
Bradley was warned by his physician on at least six occasions before the 2013 crash not to drive because of his epilepsy, prosecutors said. He continued to do so, even after a 2011 accident that he told police may have been caused by a seizure.
Bradley told police after the 2013 crash that he thought he'd had a seizure but had no memory of hitting anyone, prosecutors said.
Bradley's defense attorney, Terence Livingston, didn't immediately return a message seeking comment. He previously said that Bradley had a valid driver's license, was not prohibited from driving and was taking medication for his condition, a neurological disorder that can lead to unconsciousness and convulsions.
Bradley also must perform community service and pay restitution of more than $16,000 to the Lema family.
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