GREENFIELD — A man who crashed his SUV into a house with three people inside, including a toddler, while high on Spice has been ordered to pay the homeowners as part of an agreement in which he pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated, according to court records.
Thomas R. Bowman, 52, of Greenfield, was sentenced this week in Hancock County Superior Court 2 to serve six months in jail and spend two years on probation after pleading guilty to a Level 6 felony charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
An additional felony and two misdemeanor charges Bowman faced were dismissed, according to court records.
Terms of the plea deal dictate that Bowman’s driver’s license will be suspended for the next year, and he’ll pay reimbursement to those who were in the home at the time of the crash, court records state. That amount will be decided at a special hearing scheduled for Nov. 25.
Police said Bowman lost control of his sport utility vehicle and crashed into a home in the 700 block of East Main Street in Greenfield one night in late August. The sole passenger in his car told police the pair had been smoking synthetic marijuana — also known as Spice — prior to the crash, and police found paraphernalia in the vehicle, including a pipe and a plastic bag containing “plant-like material,” court records state.
Bowman and his passenger, who was not charged in the incident, were taken to Hancock Regional Hospital and treated for minor injuries.
Family members in the home said they escaped injury by inches, and they haven’t been able to live in the house since the accident because of the damage.
Brooke Conley and Calvin Collis were finishing up housework and getting ready to put their 2-year-old daughter to bed when Bowman’s car hit their home.
The SUV smashed through the wall of the master bedroom and caused damaged to the kitchen and hallways.
Conley said her family has been working to repair the structure, but it hasn’t been livable.
“It’s still a construction zone,” she said.
Conley expects to continue living with relatives for the next few months until the repairs are completed. She said her grandmother, who owns the home, has poured thousands of dollars into repairs so far.