Janet Hinds Bio, Wiki, Age, Husband, Children, Parents, Turns Herself In, Charges, Involved in a Hit and Run Killing Officer Nicholas Galinger

Janet Hinds Bio, Wiki

Janet Hinds Age: 54 Years old as of 2019

Janet Hinds Married: She has a Husband and has 2 children

Janet Hinds Parents: Clifford Kirk, a legendary high school softball coach

Janet Hinds in Hit and Run resulting in rookie Chattanooga Police Officer Nicholas Galinger death

Janet Hinds is a 54-year-old Tennessee woman who was arraigned in court on February 25th, 2019 in the hit-and-run death of rookie Chattanooga Police Officer Nicholas Galinger, who was struck and killed by an SUV while checking a manhole cover during a rainstorm on February 23rd, authorities say. Janet Elaine Kirk Hinds is facing multiple charges, including vehicular homicide, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says.

Kirk is a postmaster in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, and a longtime resident of Hixson, in Hamilton County. She is accused of fleeing the scene of the crash after hitting and killing the 38-year-old Galinger. The officer just graduated from the police academy in January 2019 and was out with his training officer when he was killed, according to police.

Kirk’s Honda CRV was found February 24th some hours after the incident, at her home with heavy front-end damage but Hinds was not at the house. Kirk turned herself in after charges were filed against her. She made her first court appearance on February 25 and her bail was set at $300,000.

Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy said about Galinger at an emotional press conference prior to Kirk’s arrest, “This community lost not just an officer, but a son, a father, a friend, and a protector.” Galinger, a Cincinnati native, graduated from the police academy on January 24th, 2019.

“Being a police officer was a life-long dream, and that dream has been cut short,” Eric Mace, Galinger’s uncle, told WCPO-TV. “He lived for his kids and he lived to be a police officer.”

Janet Hinds Turned Herself In 

Janet Hinds turned herself to police Monday morning, February 26th, 2019. She surrendered at the Hamilton County jail hours after she was added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Top 10 Most Wanted List, according to the TBI’s Twitter account.

TOP TEN ALERT: Janet Elaine Hinds has been added to the TBI Top Ten Most Wanted list. She’s wanted for vehicular homicide in connection to the death of @ChattanoogaPD Officer Nicholas Galinger. Please call 1-800-TBI-FIND with information concerning her whereabouts. pic.twitter.com/iuHsgzQdVh

— TBI (@TBInvestigation) February 25, 2019

The most serious charge, vehicular homicide, is a class B felony and could carry a prison sentence of between 8 to 30 years.

A spokesperson for the CPD confirms this is in fact the vehicle they are investigating in connection to the officer involved hit and run. The spokesperson says officers knocked on the door of the home and nobody answered. They are still looking for the owner of this car. pic.twitter.com/KqUe6qf2sG

— Taylor N. Stewart (@TaylorNC9) February 24, 2019

Janet Hinds Charges

Hinds made her first court appearance on February 25th and her bail was set at $300,000. She was presented with 10 charges, including vehicular manslaughter, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. She was also charged with reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident causing death, failure to report an accident, failure to render aid, violation of a traffic control device, speeding, failure to exercise due care and failure to maintain lane.

The reckless driving charge is classified under a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail. Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. The other charges are traffic violations.

BREAKING: Janet Hinds stands in handcuffs next to her attorney. @WRCB pic.twitter.com/mlsLa3sRay

— Michelle Heron (@MichelleWRCB) February 25, 2019

Janet Hinds looks back at the cameras in the courtroom after her bond is set at $300,000 in the fatal hit and run of a Chattanooga police officer pic.twitter.com/5O2TwUTCdB

— Latricia Thomas (@LatriciaTnc9) February 25, 2019

Janet Hinds Background Information

Hinds is a Tennessee native and attended Hixson High School, according to her Facebook profile. She has worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 33 years and had no prior criminal record, according to statements made Monday in court. According to prosecutors, she was previously cited for speeding.

She has been the postmaster in Soddy Daisy since November 2017. Her Linkedin profile indicates that Hinds began working at the USPS in March 1986. She was previously the manager for community services in the Hixson, Tennessee, area.

Hinds has hired two local attorneys to represent her, but neither of them has made a public statement on her behalf.

Janet Hinds Father

Janet Kirk Hinds father is Clifford Kirk, a legendary high school softball coach at Soddy Daisy and Sale Creek high schools.

Janet Hinds Married, Husband, Children

Hinds has been married to John Hinds since 1991, according to local public records. She is the mother of two sons, one from her marriage to Hinds and the other from a previous relationship.
Rhonda Thurman, a school board member in Soddy Daisy who has known Hinds since high school, told The Chattanoogan, “She is the sweetest thing. I am shocked and just heart-broken over this. She must have just completely panicked.”