Long Beach Fire Captain Faces DUI Charges In Hit-And-Run Crash
SANTA ANA (CBS) — A Long Beach fire captain is facing drunken driving and other charges stemming from a hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a bicyclist, according to Orange County prosecutors.
John David Hines, 38, of Huntington Beach, was charged Tuesday with felony driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury, driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or more causing injury, and hit-and-run with injury, Deputy District Attorney Andrew Katz said.
Hines also faces sentencing enhancement allegations of causing great bodily injury and having a blood-alcohol level more than .20 percent, Katz said.
Hines allegedly spent the morning of April 1 drinking at the Schooner or Later bar in Long Beach before getting behind the wheel of his Chevrolet pick-up truck about 1:20 p.m.
He was eastbound on Westminster Avenue, between Bolsa Chica and Seal Beach Boulevard, in Seal Beach about 1:30 p.m. when he lost control of the truck. Prosecutors said Hines swerved into the bike lane, hitting 47-year-old cyclist Jeffrey Gordon.
Hines did not appear to slow down or try to brake, according to the prosecutor, who said two other drivers who saw the collision called 911 as they followed Hines.
Hines drove home to Huntington Beach, where he was arrested, Katz said.
He allegedly had a blood-alcohol level of .24 percent, about three times the legal limit, about two hours following the crash, the prosecutor said.
Gordon was treated for head and spinal injuries and a broken back at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, where he was hospitalized for two weeks. He continues to have trouble getting around and has experienced speech and memory loss, Katz said.
Hines faces up to six years and eight months in prison if convicted. A date for his arraignment has not yet been scheduled because he posted $50,000 bail following his arrest and has not yet surrendered on a $250,000 arrest warrant filed Tuesday, Katz said.
Authorities are negotiating with Hines' attorney, Vincent Tucci, on the fire captain's surrender on the arrest warrant, Katz said. Messages left with Tucci were not immediately returned.
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