Man Gets Jail Time For Drunk Driving Crash That Nearly Killed Police Officer
DETROIT (WWJ) - A Ferndale man accused of driving drunk when he struck and critically injured a Highland Park police officer has been sentenced to two to 10 years in prison.
John Robert Galvan, 32, pleaded no contest to charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, stemming from an accident late last year that left off-duty officer Kamin Bode severely injured.
Bode, a single-mother who worked two jobs to provide for her two sons, was on her way home from work Dec. 10 around 7 a.m. when the vehicle Galvan was driving slammed into her car at Woodward and Manchester Street.
Investigators say Galvan was driving as fast as 100 miles per hour when the crash happened. Witnesses told investigators they saw Galvan trying to throw away liquor bottles before police arrived at the scene and arrested him.
The impact of the crash knocked Bode out of her vehicle, even though she was wearing a seatbelt. She was critically injured and remained unconscious for weeks after the accident. She is still recovering from her injuries and is currently in rehab.
Galvan appeared before the court and apologized for his actions.
"To Miss Kamin Bode, I apologize. I know I can never, ever be able to understand what you went through on that one night," said Galvan. "But what I can do is address my issue, I know I have an alcohol problem."
Bode spoke to reporters after the hearing, saying "the reason why we do what we do, honestly, is to put people like Mr. Galvan in jail."
Galvan was charged as a habitual offender. According to the Michigan Department of Corrections website, his criminal record dates back to July 1999, when he pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He spent seven years in prison.
Then in 2003, Galvan spent more time behind bars after pleaded guilty to a marijuana delivery charge. He was most recently released from prison on Dec. 4 after serving more than four years of a one- to eight-year prison term on a 2007 marijuana delivery charge. The accident with Bode happened less than one week after his release from prison.
Galvan, who is a registered sex offender, was also charged on Feb. 17 with operating while intoxicated, second offense, and loitering in a school safety zone, on allegations that he approached a 14-year-old girl who was walking to the bus stop near Dequindre and 23 Mile Road in Shelby Township. Investigators say Galvan broke the sex offender registry rules by approaching the girl and being near students within the "safety zone."
Galvan is due back in court on May 22.
