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LH man held for court on aggravated assault while DUI

LOCK HAVEN — Donald W. Bowman, 45, of Lock Haven, charged in connection with a violent two-vehicle crash that seriously injured the driver and a passenger in the other vehicle, has been bound over to court on two counts of aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence and one count of driving under the influence.

Centre County District Justice Steven Lachman presided over the preliminary hearing Tuesday morning at the Clinton County Courthouse.

Brenda Yonkin, 52, of Mill Hall and Megan Byrnes, 23, of Lock Haven, both suffered serious injuries and were trapped in their vehicle for some time after the crash on Route 664 in Gallagher Township on Dec. 23, 2016. A third passenger, 4-year-old Kayden Byrnes, was secured in a car seat in the back seat and was not hurt, police said.

Yonkin’s Toyota Camry was struck almost head-on by a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado pickup driven by Bowman, state police said. Both vehicles were demolished, police said.

Trooper Jeffrey Hildebrand said he found two women trapped inside the Camry and Bowman visibly intoxicated when he arrived at the crash scene at about 10:30 that night.

The trooper said Bowman told him he was coming from the Rock Bottom Tavern on Island Route and was on his way home when the crash occurred. He said he had three or four Yeungling beers, the trooper said.

Bowman was northbound and Yonkin was southbound when the two vehicles met on a curve in the southbound lane, the trooper said. He called the crash “a very, very violent collision,” and said he was surprised it wasn’t a fatality.

Yonkin and Byrnes were flown to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville for treatment of serious injuries. Bowman,whose blood alcohol content was .161, according to police, was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment of injuries.

Bowman remains free on $35,000 unsecured bail with a SCRAM bracelet.

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