Crime & Safety

Fireman Who Drunkenly Hit Cyclist Accused of Drinking in Jail

Long Beach fire captain John David Hines allegedly drank hand sanitizer in jail and could be sent to state prison for the probation violation.

The Long Beach fire captain convicted of the drunken hit and run of a Seal Beach bicyclist was charged with violating the terms of his probation this week by getting drunk off hand sanitizer at Huntington Beach’s pay-to-stay jail.

John David Hines, 38, is back in the Orange County Jail awaiting a March probation hearing to determine if he will be forced to serve out his full four-year-and-four-month state prison sentence. In November, that sentence was suspended on condition he serve a year in a local jail and complete five years of probation.

The suspended sentence took into account the fact that Hines had no criminal record and had undergone treatment for alcohol addiction. It was granted even though prosecutor Andrew Katz argued for a harsher punishment because Hines was three times the legal limit when he struck the rider on Westminster Avenue and sped away as witnesses chased him, screaming for him to stop.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Hines had been in the Huntington Beach jail for less than a month on Tuesday when he staggered and appeared to be intoxicated, said Huntington Beach Police Lt. Mike Freeman.

“As part of his duties as a trustee at the jail, he does janitorial work, cleaning around the jail and the station,” Freeman said. “He was drinking some of the cleaning products provided to him to do janitorial work.”

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Hines allegedly drank hand sanitizer he had filtered through salt to detoxify it.

“That stuff has a lot of alcohol in it,” Freeman said.

On Friday, Hines’ probation violation hearing was set for March 16.

As part of his sentence, he was also ordered to pay $102,000 restitution to victim Jeffrey Gordon, who told the court he may never fully recover and was upset that Hines "may suffer little or no consequences for his actions."

According to prosecutors, Hines spent the morning of April 1 drinking at a Long Beach restaurant called Schooner or Later, then drove his truck down Westminster Avenue in Seal Beach, where he swerved off the road and crashed into Gordon.

Gordon was thrown more than 70 feet and landed on the shoulder of the street, according to prosecutors. Witnesses said Hines failed to even slow down after hitting Gordon.

“Instead of staying to render aid, he left the victim like common road kill in a pool of blood, and fled the scene…it is egregious,” Katz, the prosecutor said following the arraignment.

Gordon also argued for a harsher sentence in a victim’s impact statement read at the sentencing, “I am a very active person who enjoys being outdoors with my family. I also have a very mentally and physically demanding job that I love. All of that was taken from me in just seconds.

“As a result of the impact, I was seriously injured, receiving an 18-centimeter head laceration, cranial bleeding, three broken vertebrae, a bruised kidney and multiple cuts, scrapes, and contusions over a large area of my body. Medical expenses are piling up from the long hospital stay and treatment from so many specialists… so far reaching nearly $65,000. The doctors are not yet sure when or if I will recover enough to return to full duty at work or to the quality of life that I had before.

“I have found myself becoming more and more upset by the possibility that the negligence of another person may have lasting effects on me, but the person who is responsible may suffer little or no consequences for his actions.”

What do you think? Should Hines go to state prison or does he deserve a second chance? Tell us in the comments.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.