Accused traffic law violator re-arrested

An Oconee judge has instructed a prosecutor to take 30 days before he rules on pre-trial motions in the case of South Carolina v. Bradley Thomas Barnett.  The state seeks to revoke Barnett’s bond after the defendant was re-arrested in January on an assault and battery charge – separate from the 2021 incident in which Barnett was charged with felony driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily injury.  Barnett’s lawyer Joey Opperman downplayed the seriousness of his client’s January arrest and argued that it should not influence whether his bond is revoked.  Judge McIntosh wants assistant solicitor Beth Blundy to investigate the assault and battery arrest before he rules on the motion to revoke bond.