PONCA CITY, Okla. – A Ponca City officer was arrested and lost his job after allegedly blacking out from alcohol and waving his department-issued firearm.
Justin Hinch is charged with misdemeanor possession of a firearm while intoxicated.
Hinch is now a former Ponca City police officer.
According to court documents, he and a woman came home from a night at a restaurant where they were drinking. They got into an argument. That’s when she alleges “he grabbed his pistol from his duty belt” and started “waving it around.”
Hinch even allegedly “pointed the gun at his own chin” at one point.
But before the situation could worsen, the woman was able to get the gun holstered and locked it inside a car.
The next morning, Hinch allegedly didn’t remember anything.
Hinch later told a detective it was “out of character” and he’s “never done anything like this before.” He also admitted to drinking five long island iced teas and five or six Mike’s Hard Lemonades.
News 4 spoke to Hinch briefly at his home, where he said he didn’t want to comment. All he said was that it was “something blown out of proportion, so it’s fine.”
Ponca City Police conducted both a criminal and an internal investigation. As a result, Hinch was charged and is no longer an officer.
