Legal resolution may be on the way for a Hanford man who claims he was dragged out of his home and assaulted by two of his former co-workers in May after he won a labor dispute against his previous employer, Brock's Chevron Service on Grangeville Boulevard.

On Tuesday afternoon, a nearly three-hour preliminary hearing ended with a judge ruling that brothers Steven and Thomas Null would be held to answer for charges of assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and battery.

On Sunday, May 18, local resident Anthony Brault, known in the community as "Too Tall Tony" or just "Tony," reportedly heard a knock at his front door at 11:18 p.m. When he answered it, Thomas Null, general manager of Brock's Chevron, was apparently standing out in his yard smiling at him. Suddenly, two large men grabbed him and pulled him outside, according to Brault.

A third man who Brault said was at the alleged attack has not been identified by investigatorsm or brought forth on charges.

"They got me pinned down, with the biggest guy sitting on my back," said 45-year-old Brault. "One of them, Steven Null, he starts trying to choke me, like he's going to kill me. Then his brother Tommy comes up, still wearing his uniform, and starts kicking me in the face."

"Here's your (expletive) penalties, here's your (expletive) lunches," Thomas Null reportedly said.

The attack came two days after a notice was sent out regarding the labor dispute of Brault vs. Brock's Chevron, in which both sides met to discuss the matter of 118 days in which the business allegedly did not give Brault lunch breaks.

The labor commission sided with Brault and required the business to pay him $944, plus additional penalties for every 30 days the amount was not paid on time, which added up to just less than $2,000, according to Brault.

Two days later, Brault was left in his front yard bleeding heavily from several lacerations in his face, with his head swelling and bruising from the attack.

A police investigation into the case led to the arrest of Thomas and Steven Null. The brothers were reportedly bailed out of jail by Brock's Chevron owner Tim Brock soon after.

"This is a preliminary hearing and there is enough evidence to determine probable cause, as each account has more than enough evidence to support it," Judge Louis Bissig said at the end of proceedings.

Several Hanford police officers were called to testify as to the May 18 incident, as well as another one that occurred on May 26, in which both of the Null brothers reportedly came into Brault's home and attacked him while he sat on his bathroom toilet.

In both incidents, Brault admitted to drinking some before the assault, which led the defense to question his credibility.

"The circumstances here are very telling," Defense attorney Richard Conway said. "The only thing that we are 100 percent certain of is that Mr. Brault was not truthful. He has made allegations while intoxicated, saying that these men assaulted him, but his story keeps changing. Yet, according to Officer Jim Adams' testimony, the only reason Steven and Thomas Null went to his house was to ask Mr. Brault to stop harassing them!"

During the court hearing, Police Officer Adams explained that there had been a pattern of harassment going on between Thomas Null and Brault for three to four months prior to the attack, as angry text messages were exchanged between the former friends. Additional testimony revealed that Null reportedly owed Brault $5,000 for a car that was sold to him.

Brault's account of the May 26 attack differed wildly the three times Officer Jean Bidegaray recorded it. In one instance, he said that Steven and Thomas Null attacked him with miniature baseball bats. In another account, he said he was not physically hurt in any way, except when his hand was cut while trying to punch one of the Null brothers in the teeth.

Judge Bissig, however, specified that the focus on this case was on the May 18 attack and that there is more than enough evidence available for it to proceed to trial.

"There are two sides to this story, but we are not here to determine a resolution for all of the charges," Bissig said. "Whether or not Mr. Null went to Mr. Brault's house just to talk, he went over there with two big guys. They weren't going to discuss Christmas plans. It was a confrontation, one that could be potentially violent. That's enough to determine probable cause."

The case will be heard again in court on Oct. 15.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.

(Oct. 1, 2008)