Two men from Gowanda were taken into custody for drunk driving early Saturday after one of them rear-ended a State Police vehicle in the Town of Brant. State Police in Fredonia pulled over a vehicle driven by 29-year-old Andre Bowman on Old Lake Shore Road at about 3:00 AM. As troopers were speaking with Bowman and two passengers, their vehicle got struck from behind by another vehicle, operated by 24-year-old John Hamm. According to State Police, one of the troopers and Bowman were inside the troopers' vehicle when it got struck. Bowman's two passengers, Jaqualine Jimmerson and Jeffrey Halftown, were standing near the police vehicle and tried to get out of the way when they saw that Hamm was going to crash. Jimmerson and Halftown wound up falling into a ditch and were later treated at Lakeshore Hospital. Bowman and Hamm were both charged with DWI, while Hamm was additionally charged with a violation of New York State's Move Over Law. Both drivers will appear in Brant Town Court at a later date.
John Hamm (left) and Andre Bowman (right)
Accident photo by New York State Police