A DeKalb County jury has convicted former EMS driver Bruce Andre Hines, 47, of raping a 51-year-old woman under the pretense of providing assistance. According to the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, Hines used his position to carry out the assault. Following a trial presided over by Senior Judge Daniel Coursey, Hines was sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of probation upon release.
The events leading up to the conviction unfolded in the early hours of March 5, 2023, on Glenwood Road in unincorporated Decatur. The victim, having spent the evening with friends, nodded off in her car and was approached by Hines, who was on duty. Hines informed her that he had canceled a police call regarding a person asleep in a vehicle, suggesting that his intervention was sparing her a legal headache. Despite these reassurances, the woman fell asleep once more, only to awaken to Hines assaulting her. The details of this case were outlined in the official news release from the District Attorney's Office.
Following the assault, a twisted semblance of concern was displayed as Hines used the victim's phone to contact one of her friends, falsely claiming that she was left in an unsafe area. An arrangement was made for a meeting at a nearby gas station on Covington Highway, wherein the friend would pick up both the victim and her car. After Hines returned to his SUV, the victim disclosed the attack and immediately contacted the authorities.
Compelling evidential support for the victim's account came from surveillance footage, which convincingly placed Hines at the scene. It showed his EMS SUV arriving at and departing from a hotel where an incident had summoned emergency services around 3 a.m. The footage then captured Hines engaging with the victim, moving the two vehicles to an abandoned lot. The final condemnation came with the DNA collected from the woman's clothing, which matched Hines. All this was recounted in the prosecution's arguments, as relayed in the DeKalb County District Attorney's news release.
