Suspect accused of wielding sword, threatening neighbors to remain in jail

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – People living in a northwest Albuquerque neighborhood say they feel safer, knowing one of their neighbors won’t be coming back anytime soon.

For years, neighbors say Bradley Wylie has harassed and threatened them.

Now, Wylie is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Police say he used a sword to carve the n-word into his neighbor, Robert Witt’s driveway. Witt believes the reason Wylie targeted him was because of his friendship with his African American neighbor Vincent Peele.

KOB 4 asked Witt what he hoped would happen in court Tuesday.

“That they get their 72-hour psych referral done, they do their psych stuff, and maybe we can get him somewhere that in a few months, he may be squared away enough that they can let him go to a halfway house or something,” he said.

That is what a District Court judge decided just hours later, keeping Wylie behind bars, for now.

“Upon any psych evaluation, that should be considered, you know, sufficient to be–not necessarily grant the release, but at least to be considered,” Judge Emeterio Rudolfo said.

Before that ruling came down, Wylie’s attorney argued for his client’s release.

“While the allegations about the racial slur are unfortunate and offensive, they are not dangerous in the sense of a violent act,” Griffin Hardy said. “As to the allegations regarding the sword, in reviewing the discovery and reviewing the complaint here, the nature of what type of threat is alleged is not really clear to me.”

The state prosecutor and judge did not agree.

“There is an African American neighbor, there’s Mr. Witt and the threat with the sword that it wasn’t used just to engrave on the sidewalk,” Judge Rudolfo said. “Mr. Wylie raised it over his head and threatened Mr. Witt.”

“I’m wondering why he hasn’t been charged for a hate crime because that’s how this sword charge generated,” Peele told KOB 4.

He went on to say he feels safer knowing Wylie is not living across the street from him right now, and was even able to have his grandkids over this past holiday weekend, for the first time in a long time.

“It was great this Easter, have my family come over for that little bit of period of time, with some rest and comfort and peace,” said Peele.