Last Updated on January 13, 2023 by CCAR Staff
RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> Archie Green III, the man suspected of driving drunk and causing a Nov. 5 traffic collision that killed San Bernardino police Officer Bryce Hanes, pleaded not guilty to felony charges Tuesday morning.
Green, 27, of Fontana appeared for a video arraignment in West Valley Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga to face charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol. He is scheduled back in court Dec. 2.
Deputy District Attorney Jason Liso said Green’s blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit.
Hanes’ family was not in the courtroom for the arraignment.
Green’s attorney, Ludlow Creary III, said his client is “devastated” by Hanes’ death. Creary also said Hanes was not wearing a seat belt the night of the fatal crash.
Creary said his client is a “father and family man.” He is an honor student with no criminal record, who was raised in Buena Park and has ties to the community, he said.
The defense attorney requested a bail reduction or his client’s release on his own recognizance, but the judge denied the request and kept Green’s bail at $250,000.
“The judge is supposed to consider the safety of his community when considering bail,” said Liso during a news conference following the proceedings. “Also, legally speaking, in order to lower bail in a case like this, the judge has to find unusual circumstances, and the fact that he’s young and lacks a record isn’t an unusual circumstance such to let him out of custody in a case like this.”
Green’s family was present in court, but they did not comment.
Ontario police, who arrested Green, deferred a request for comment on whether Hanes was wearing a seat belt to the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office.
“Our office has released all the information related to this case at this point,” said DA spokesman Christopher Lee.
“This is an ongoing case. No further details will be released at this point.”
Hanes, a 40-year-old Redlands resident, had just dropped off an inmate at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, when police said Hanes’ vehicle was broadsided by a dark blue 2008 Dodge Charger driven by Green just after 2 a.m. Nov. 5 at Etiwanda Avenue and Fourth Street in Ontario.
The impact left the patrol car pressed into a traffic light pole.
A witness told investigators that the Charger’s driver ran a red light and collided with Hanes’ vehicle. The police officer had a green light, according to the witness.
Hanes, a 12-year member of the San Bernardino Police Department, is remembered as a family man devoted to his department and community.
Staff Writer Doug Saunders contributed to this report.
