Last Updated on September 29, 2016 by CCAR Staff
West Covina Councilman Mike Spence said Wednesday he has no intention of resigning from his elected position following a drug-related car crash in June causing him serious injuries.
Spence, 50, said he also has no intention of resigning from his position as chief of staff for San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman. Spence was also Hagman’s chief of staff when Hagman was a state assemblyman.
“I am not going to resign over a report I’ve never even seen. I think that’s a fair statement,” Spence said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
Spence said he has no recollection of his June 12 solo-vehicle collision in Covina that broke his hip, femur, back and a couple of ribs. He said he also does not remember whether he had been using drugs or drinking at the time, and he has been trying to obtain a copy of the accident report to find out what happened.
“I haven’t seen anything yet,” Spence said. “I have been denied access to the report so I have no plans on resigning at this point.”
Spence was cited for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He underwent two surgeries at Los Angeles County USC Medical Center for a spinal fusion and to repair his hip and femur. He was later transferred to Casa Colina Hospital for Rehabilitative Medicine in Pomona.
The Covina Police Department on Monday announced that a toxicology report confirmed Spence was driving under the influence of drugs — a stimulant — and that he had no alcohol in his system at the time of the collision.
On Thursday, Sgt. Gregg Peterson, spokesman for the Covina Police Department, said a drug analysis confirmed the stimulant Spence was under the influence of was illegal, but he would not say what the stimulant was.
A witness reported seeing Spence driving erratically, then make an abrupt right turn before crashing into a utility pole, about 75 feet south of the intersection of Azusa Avenue and Cypress Street, about 12:30 p.m. The rented Hyundai Accent he was driving sustained major damage, and police officers at the scene noted Spence displayed the symptoms of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Peterson said.
He said that, judging from the injuries Spence suffered, the damage to the vehicle he was driving and the witness account, it appears Spence was driving faster than the posted speed limit of 40 mph.
Although Spence said he could not remember whether he drank or used drugs the day of the accident, he said Thursday he has used methamphetamine and cocaine in the past.
Spence has been on paid leave from his job as Hagman’s chief of staff since the accident.
Hagman said Thursday in a telephone interview that it was too soon to say if Spence will remain on his staff and is now just praying for his speedy recovery.
“All those bridges will be crossed as this thing moves forward,” Hagman said.
Hagman said he had no knowledge of Spence’s alcohol or drug use.
“Obviously, if he has drug and alcohol problems, I encourage him to seek treatment for those,” Hagman said. He said, to his knowledge, Spence was not working in his capacity as his chief of staff the day of his accident, which was a Sunday.
“There were no county events or jobs that I am aware of that day,” Hagman said.
Spence’s accident and confirmation he was driving under the influence of drugs came as a shock to county supervisors.
“Obviously, I’m extremely concerned, first of all for his health, and second of all how it is going to impact us as a county board,” Supervisor Josie Gonzales said.
County supervisor staff members are hired, and fired, by their respective supervisors. But the board can take collective action and vote to terminate a staff member of a county supervisor if that supervisor chooses not to terminate the staffer, but all four board members must be unanimous in their decision.
Gonzales described Spence as “very caring” and committed to his staff.
“Poor judgment happens in a split second. None of us are immune,” Gonzales said. “We’re all vulnerable.”
Supervisor Janice Rutherford, who said she has known Hagman since she was 14 years old, said she was saddened by the news.
“My concern is for Mike personally and his family. I know he’s devastated he did this, and he’s eager to make amends and get healthy again,” Rutherford said. “You’ll find these personal tragedies in every organization, in every company, in every walk of life.”
She said Spence is a man of strong faith who is getting a lot of support from his family and his church.
“I’m praying he gets back on track again,” Rutherford said.
