By Lori Pilger
Lincoln Journal Star
LINCOLN, Neb. — A former Lincoln firefighter convicted of stealing morphine from an ambulance after he was found incoherent in a fire station bathroom went to prison Thursday.
In January, John Massie, 30, showed up to treatment intoxicated. Two days later, he admitted he had violated the probation he got after pleading no contest to acquiring a controlled substance by fraud.
“What I did, I know, was wrong and ruined a lot of things,” he told Lancaster County District Judge Jeffre Cheuvront on Thursday.
But he said he was trying to do the right thing.
The charge stemmed from an incident July 5, 2008, when Massie failed to report for an ambulance call while on duty. An ambulance driver found him in the bathroom, disoriented, incoherent “and in no condition to respond to calls.”
Massie was hospitalized, and, later, a vial of morphine was discovered missing from the ambulance, court records say.
In April, Massie was sentenced to 60 days in jail and two years on probation for stealing the painkiller. Court records say he tested positive for alcohol in May, July and August, despite a condition of his probation that he not drink.
He was cited in May and July for violating motor vehicle carrier safety regulations for driving with an overweight load. According to court records, Massie has been working in landscaping.
Two days after showing up for treatment intoxicated, he admitted in court that he had violated his probation.
“It’s apparent that Mr. Massie has lost a lot as a result of this,” his attorney, Elizabeth Foster, said Thursday at his sentencing.
— Michael Lubash
“Integrity is a huge part of what we do.He had chances before prison was ordered plus this guy shames the uniform.
— Phillip Keith Leviner
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She said he’s lost not only his career but also his reputation.
That put his life in a tailspin he’s still trying to get a grasp on, Foster said. Massie is working hard, she said, but he has had setbacks and is struggling.
“I want to fix it,” Massie said. “This is not the person who I am.”
He said after dealing with an addiction to controlled substances, he learned he had a problem with alcohol, too.
Massie said he has realized he is the only person blocking his path to recovery, and he has been taking classes online, hoping one day to become a part of the fire service again.
It’s unfortunate Massie couldn’t have arrived at some of his conclusions back in April, when he was given the chance to do probation, said Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Bruce Prenda.
He said it’s clear now that Massie has a significant problem with substance abuse that needs to be addressed, but that he still has a lot of potential.
Cheuvront said he considered what Massie did a serious violation of a public trust, one that not only reflected adversely on other members of the fire department, but also just about everyone in the public domain.
He told Massie his use of controlled substances jeopardized the public’s safety.
“I can’t continue you on probation,” Cheuvront said.
He said it gave him no joy to send Massie to prison but that he had no choice.
Then, the judge sentenced him to a term of 16 months to three years. Massie will be eligible for parole in eight months, minus 56 days he already has served.
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