VISALIA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A man who was once a certified General Motors auto technician is now working to get his life back on track after he served time in prison following his arrest in Hanford three years ago. Justin Nordine was arrested in 2021 after stealing from a CVS in Hanford. Follow ing his release, Justin told YourCentralValley.com he is looking to be a better person. "I wanted to reach out to show who I really am," said Nordine in conversation with YourCentralValley.com on Friday. "I'm a really compassionate, generous person." Nordine, who is originally from Seattle in Washington state, was on his way home to get surgery. At the time, he was struggling after being addicted to heroin for three years and had started using methadone to kick his heroin addiction. Following a visit to Los Angeles, Nordine says he wanted to visit Yosemite National Park on the way back to Seattle. That resulted in a detour into the Central Valley - and ultimately being arrested in Hanford. Nordine says he was hit by a vehicle and injured his ankle. That led to him stealing a vehicle to be able to get around. "It was a poor decision," said Nordine. He says his whole trip to California was based on a whim; his impromptu journey throughout the state led to him reforming his life. Nordine says after his arrest he was in a few county jails across the Central Valley and Northern California. He was released and paroled in Crescent City and he is now living in Visalia, where his Postrelease Community Supervision is. He says prison helped him turn his life around. "It got me healthy. I gained a bunch of weight. I'm like 185 pounds now, and I gained 40 or 50 pounds," he said. "I was struggling a lot before, and I kind of got my mental state back together." Nordine is now staying at a sober living facility in Visalia and wants to get his driver's license. After his ankle has fully recovered, Nordine says he wants to go back to his work as a service technician with General Motors - after spending four years doing the same job in Washington state. "I used to work at a Cadillac dealership and I have an AA in automotive technology. So my plan is to get back into that field." After being in a rut, Nordine says he's working to achieve a healthy balance and hopes to return to his "old normal self." ...read more read less