Man Sentenced To Prison For Ramming Car

A Spokane man who admitted ramming a car carrying three teenagers on a camping trip last spring was sent to prison Wednesday for five years.

But Dustin J. Brower, 22, will be eligible for parole after serving a year, First District Judge Gary Haman decided.

Brower told Haman that he had been drinking heavily prior to the May 23, 1997, incident along Interstate 90.

Deputy Prosecutor Eric Van Orden said Brower had made an obscene gesture at the teens before sideswiping the Subaru they were riding in. Brower then slammed into the car again before driving away, Van Orden said.

None of the teens, who had planned to go camping at Wolf Lodge, was injured.

Brower, who said he does not remember the incident, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, but two additional counts were dismissed.