Developer Dies, 2 Injured When Police Cruiser Crashes Into Car

A Newport Beach developer who had just received what was described as his “first big break” was killed and his business partner was critically injured early Thursday when their 1986 Buick was hit by an oncoming police car on the Balboa Peninsula.

The 12:25 a.m. accident claimed the life of Jake S. Finney, 39. He suffered head and chest injuries, the Orange County coroner’s office reported, and was pronounced dead on arrival at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. His partner, Kent G. Hindes, 32, of Costa Mesa, was listed in critical condition Thursday night at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital.

Listed in serious but stable condition with head injuries at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital was Newport Beach Police Officer Joseph Thrasher, 32, a seven-year veteran of the department.

Hindes Booked

Newport Beach police investigator William McInnis said Hindes, who was driving the car although it was owned by Finney, was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and felony drunk driving. He said that police detected an “odor of alcohol” on Hindes and that a blood test turned up a positive blood-alcohol reading.

A relative said the two developers might have been out celebrating the conclusion of a major business deal.

The crash occurred when Hindes and Finney, who were eastbound on Balboa Boulevard, attempted to make either a left or a U-turn at 9th Street, police said. As they made the turn, Thrasher’s westbound police car crashed into the passenger door and sent the new black Buick careening into a brick wall on the north side of the street.

There were a number of witnesses, said Newport Beach Police Lt. Tim Newman, and paramedics treated all three men at the scene. He said that “Thrasher, although seriously injured, managed to radio for assistance.”

Speed Unknown

McInnis said police don’t know how fast either vehicle was going at the time of the accident. The speed limit on that stretch of Balboa Boulevard is 25 m.p.h. Thrasher was not in a pursuit and his red lights and siren were not on at the time of the crash, McInnis said.

The investigator said Thrasher was able to talk Thursday at the hospital but was unable to provide details of the accident. “We have absolutely no idea (what speed Thrasher was going),” McInnis said. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

Relatives and business associates said Finney and Hindes were partners in Chamberlin, Finney & Associates, a fledgling Newport Beach commercial development firm. Wednesday morning, the firm had completed a deal with a Chicago bank for the financing of a development in Gardena.

Another partner, who asked not to be identified, said the deal represented a breakthrough for the firm. “It was a big day for us yesterday,” the partner said.

Finney’s brother-in-law, Ben Donlon, theorized that the two had probably gone out to dinner to celebrate Wednesday night. “It was a very large contract for an industrial park,” he said. “He said it was his first big break.”

Finney, a former Fluor Corp. employee, lived further east on the Balboa Peninsula, so it is unclear why Hindes had turned at 9th Street. It is possible, Donlon speculated, that he was making a U-turn to buy cigarettes before heading home.

Donlon said the impact indicates to him that Thrasher must have been traveling faster than the speed limit. “It seems awfully hard to believe that he hit that car at 25 m.p.h.,” Donlon said.

Thursday afternoon, the California Highway Patrol’s special accident investigation team arrived at the Newport Beach Police Department to conduct an investigation. As CHP officers measured marks at the scene and inspected both cars, McInnis said it would probably be a few days before an estimate of Thrasher’s speed can be made public.