community
Rebuilding a Life
says Scott. “The day he was sentenced
my oldest daughter Alexis said, ‘I’m go-
ing to be 19 when he gets out. We’re
going to miss him and he’s going to miss
my whole time growing up and going to
high school. He’s not going to be there
for me.’ It was really detrimental to all
the kids when he went away. We all love
him and he’s family to us.”
***
Hines was working at Fine Line
Pacific, a marble and granite installation
company in Lake Oswego, and living in
Forest Grove, when his father Dennis
became too sick to work and take care
of himself at the family home in Birken-
feld. Dennis was drinking himself to
death and suffering from Hepatitis C and
cirrhosis of the liver. Hines left his job
at Fine Line to take care of his father.
“He told me, ‘Desmond, I did all
this for you, this is all going to be yours;
you’re my only good son,’” says Hines
about his father’s promise to leave him
the property. “He’d had a falling out
with both my brother and my sister be-
cause dad just wasn’t a very nice person.
After years and years of thinking about
it I decided that I needed to put all those
negative feelings aside and go have a
relationship with my father before he
passed away. So I did. I went out there
and did whatever he needed done around
the place. I took him up to the VA Hos-
pital when he needed to go. I’d bring
him a bottle of booze so he could sit and
look out the window and drink and tell
me how I was doing everything wrong.”
Hines says he heard whisperings
around the community that his father was
going to “stab him in the back” and give
the property to his friend, co-worker, and
drinking buddy, Keith Borders. “I said,
‘No, my dad has told me a hundred times
to my face that we were good and he was
leaving it to me.’”
Dennis Hines died on March
13, the day before Desmond’s 31 st birth-
day. “I got into the gun safe and found
the will and it clearly said, ‘I do NOT
want my children to inherit any of my
estate,’ and it named each of us kids and
gave our social security numbers,” says
Hines. “It named his neighbor as the ex-
ecutor of the estate, and then gave all his
belongings - the houses on the property,
the guns, the cars, everything - to Keith
Borders.”
***
When he learned he had been
cut out of his father’s will, Hines says
he flew into a rage. He felt like what he
had been working so hard for, and been
promised, was being taken away from
him. “I dove pretty deep into the booze
and I was mad.”
2016
5
continued from page 3
Hines is reflective when talking until they told him they were arresting
about why he was so angry and disap- him for murder that the magnitude of
pointed with his father’s decision. “My what he had done actually sunk in.
sister had a couple kids and I thought she
***
should get some of the property because
Instead of going to trial, Hines
that’s what parents are supposed to do – took a deal and pled guilty to Man-
take care of the generation behind them slaughter II and received a sentence of
and leave things better than you found 75 months. “I took responsibility for it
it.”
and I continue to take responsibility ev-
Hines says he spent several days ery day when I wake up,” says Hines.
this way, drunk, angry and irrational, Schoonover’s father spoke on Hines’s
driving around with a pistol in his truck. behalf at his sentencing. “He said, ‘You
His friends thought
took my son from
he might be suicidal,
me and that is some-
so they sent his friend
thing you can never
Darrell Schoonover to
replace,’” says Hines.
“After years and years
spend the day with him
“He said, ‘I forgive
of thinking about it I
while he took care of
you because I have to,
decided that I needed
some of the details of
because of my faith,
to put all those negative
his father’s death, like
but you don’t get to
feelings
aside
and
go
the crematorium bill.
live just for yourself
have a relationship with
Then they went back to
anymore, you have to
my father before he
his dad’s house. Hines
live for my son too.’”
passed
away.
So
I
did.
says
Schoonover’s
“I figure Dar-
I’d bring him a bottle
step-mother had given
rell gave his life, so
of booze so he could
them a half gallon of
that I could get my
sit and look out the
cheap rum. “My first
life back,” says Hines.
window and drink and
thought was, ‘I’m
“I’m not ever going to
not very good on that
take it for granted that
tell me how I was doing
stuff,’” says Hines.
I’m getting a second
everything wrong.”
“My second thought
chance. I’m going to
was, ‘I’m broke and I
make my way through
only have a six-pack
the rest of my life the
of beer, so I’m going
best I can.”
to have to take that rum.’”
***
Hines said he and Schoonover
Hines ended up serving 84
started drinking hard. “We were just months in prison. His first year he ended
goofing around, wrestling and being up in some trouble. At 150 pounds he
drunk, having fun,” says Hines. A friend was a target and had to establish him-
of his father’s stopped by and later told self in the prison population hierarchy.
the Grand Jury that they looked like a He ended up in several fights and had
couple of unsupervised kids having fun - a couple disciplinary issues. After that
not angry, not fighting.
first year things settled down. He was
a hard worker and the guards knew they
***
“I don’t really remember what could give him extra work assignments.
happened that night.” says Hines. “I He was able to stay busy and stay out of
know when we got home I had reloaded trouble. He served his time in the Oregon
the pistol. I know I was in a really angry prison system, doing time at the Coffee
place and I didn’t care about people’s Creek Correctional Facility, the Snake
lives at that point. I was just in a really, River Correctional Institution, and the
really dark place in my mind.”
Warner Creek Correctional Facility.
Hines says he and Schoonover At Snake River he worked on several
drank almost the entire half gallon of wildland fire crews and helped fight the
rum between 8:00 pm and 1:00 am. “We massive Cornet/Windy Ridge Fire in
were drunk and I had the gun pointed 2015, where his experience working in
at my head, at his head, and back at my the woods as a logger came in handy.
head,” says Hines. “I don’t really know When he left the prison system he was
how it happened, but I know I shot and commended for his lengthy 13 page
killed him.”
work history.
***
***
Hines says he went and got a bi-
When Hines was released from
ble and read Psalms 23 over Schoonover. prison Scott offered him a place to live
Then he held Schoonover’s body in his and a chance to come home to Verno-
arms before calling 9-1-1. When police
arrived he told them he had shot and
Vernonia City Council
killed his friend. Hines says it wasn’t
Meetings and Closures
Vernonia Police Blotter • October 17-31, 2016
Reports/Arrests
• October 18, 2016 Report
of a stolen vehicle near
Airport Way
• October 21, 2016 Report
of Unlawful Entry and
Criminal Mischief near
Lakeview Dr.
• October 27, 2016 Report
of Theft II near North St.
• October 28, 2016 Arrest
on a Felony Warrant near
Spencer Ave. and Bridge
St.
november3
• October 29, 2016 Report
of Criminal Trespass near
Sheely Creek Rd.
Citations/Other
• October 17, 2016 Cited
for Restricted Parking of an
RV on a Public Street near
Maple St. and Weed St.
• October 18, 2016
Cited for Driving While
Suspended near Bridge St.
• October 19, 2016
Cited for Driving While
Suspended near Bridge
St. and Madison Ave.
• October 28, 2016
Cited for Driving While
Suspended near Bridge St.
Vernonia Police
Department responds to
calls that do not always
end in Arrest, Report,
or Citation. 10/17/2016
through 10/31/2016 VPD
had 216 calls for service.
City Council Meetings
are scheduled for 7:00 pm:
Monday, November 7, 2016
Monday, November 21, 2016
City Closures
are scheduled for:
Friday, November 11, 2016
Veteran’s Day
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Friday, November 25, 2016
Thanksgiving Holiday
Dates and times subject to change
due to conflicts of schedules
nia.
“What happened really divided
our group of friends,” says Scott about
Schoonover’s death. “Desmond and
Darrell were good friends - like broth-
ers. We were all like family and it was
really painful to lose both of them. Dar-
rell saved Desmond’s life one time when
he tried to commit suicide. Some of us
truly believe it was an accident when
Desmond killed Darrell, because Des-
mond would never do that – would never
kill his best friend. Others are still really
pissed that it happened and haven’t been
able to accept him being back.”
Scott says Hines has definitely
taken responsibility for what happened
that night. “He never says it was an acci-
dent. He says he killed his friend. He’s
already put himself through a lot. None
of us can make him feel any worse about
what happened.”
Scott says Schoonover’s father
had wanted to see Hines when he was
released from prison but he passed away
just weeks after Hines’s release and the
two never had a chance to speak. “I feel
like if the family can forgive you, that’s
what is really important,” says Scott.
Hines says that early in his life
he lost touch with his older brother,
who now lives in Klamath Falls. “We
didn’t talk to each other for about twenty
years,” explains Hines. “He found me
when I was in prison and we wrote back
and forth a time or two. I found out he’s
still deep in his own alcoholism so I told
him I couldn’t come see him until he de-
cides to put the booze down for at least
a weekend. Where I’m at with my life
right now I just can’t be around it.”
Scott says Hines worries about
what people think about him here in
town. “But there are people who are
willing to give him a chance, and that’s
important. We’re helping him get back
continued on page 12
291
A
Street
call Kim
Lovable service at
a reasonable price
• Bathing
• Haircuts
• Nail Clipping
• Nail Polishing
• Specialty
Shampoos
The Vernonia
Transfer Station
is open on the
2nd and 4th Saturday
November 12
December 10
Dates are subject to change
due to weather
