RivCo Deputy Charged In 100 MPH Crash That Killed Groom-To-Be

CALIMESA, CA — A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy was charged this week in a high-speed crash that killed a 21-year-old man and critically injured his fiancée as the couple ran errands for their upcoming wedding, according to reports..

Deputy Glynn Wilburn faces gross vehicular manslaughter, felony reckless driving causing serious injury and a great bodily injury enhancement, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office announced June 17, KTLA reported.

The Sept. 6, 2025, crash killed Gavin Hinkley, 21, of Calimesa, and left Madeline Fox, 20, of Cherry Valley, with catastrophic injuries.

Wilburn was responding to a reported shooting with his emergency lights and siren activated when his Ford Police Interceptor SUV entered the intersection of Cherry Valley Boulevard and Roberts Street at nearly 100 mph, the Press-Enterprise reported, citing a California Highway Patrol report.

The deputy’s SUV struck the Tesla Model 3 driven by Hinkley as Hinkley prepared to turn left at the intersection, according to the report. Hinkley died at the scene.

CHP investigators found that Wilburn entered the intersection against a red light and failed to drive with “due regard” for public safety, KTLA reported.

Fox suffered permanent brain trauma and faces a long recovery, attorney Spencer Lucas, who represents both families in a civil lawsuit, told the Los Angeles Times. Lucas said Fox had to relearn how to swallow, eat, stand, walk and talk after waking from a coma.

The lawsuit, filed in May, names Wilburn, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, Riverside County, Southern California Edison, American Medical Response of Southern California and the cities of Calimesa and Beaumont as defendants. It seeks unspecified damages.

The suit alleges electrical boxes near the intersection may have reduced visibility and that an ambulance crew initially took Wilburn, who had minor injuries, to a hospital before treating Hinkley and Fox, KTLA reported.

Wilburn has been placed on administrative leave. An arraignment date had not been scheduled, according to KTLA.

In statements released after the charges were filed, Hinkley’s and Fox’s families called the case an important step toward accountability and said the crash was preventable.