Caldwell man sentenced to prison for assault and battery of a law enforcement officer | Canyon County

Bryan Taylor, Canyon County Prosecutor, announced that Bradley R. Day, age 51, of Caldwell, was sentenced yesterday by the Honorable Gene A. Petty for the felony crimes of Aggravated Battery Upon Certain Personnel and Aggravated Assault Upon Certain Personnel.

Judge Petty sentenced Day to 8 years fixed, followed by 22 years indeterminate, on the aggravated battery charge, and 4 years fixed, followed by 11 years indeterminate, on the aggravated assault charge. The sentences will run concurrently for a total unified sentence of 30 years in prison. Judge Petty also ordered Day to pay more than $14,800 in restitution to the victim, along with $5,000 in fines and court costs.

Booking photo of Bradley R. Day

Bradley R. Day

Day was arrested in September 2021 following a several-hour standoff with the Caldwell Police Department, during which he fired multiple shots from a high-powered rifle at responding officers. Caldwell Police were initially dispatched to Day’s residence after a 911 caller reported he had a gun and threatened to kill himself. When officers first arrived on scene, Day began shooting at them from a window on the residence’s first floor before moving up to a second-floor window where he continued to fire at police, injuring one officer and causing severe damage to a patrol vehicle with his gunfire. Officers were able to return fire in Day’s direction until he eventually stopped shooting. Day was arrested a few hours later inside the residence without any additional shots being fired. Day later told detectives that he didn’t intend to kill any police officers; he only shot at them because he wanted the officers to kill him.

“The person you directed the harm to was someone who had not done anything to you,” said Judge Petty during sentencing. “For this evening, for this crime, you deserve to be in prison.”

“This sentence sends the message that violence against law enforcement will not be tolerated. That individuals who commit or attempt to commit violence against law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” added deputy prosecutor Ellie Somoza.

“On behalf of the Caldwell Police Department, I want to thank all the agencies that stepped up to help the injured officer and our department during this trying time,” said Caldwell Police Lieutenant Dave Wright. “Their professionalism and assistance helped prevent a bad situation from becoming worse.”