Anchorage man convicted of sixth DWI after injury accident

ANCHORAGE (AP) -- An Anchorage man with five drunken driving convictions collected a sixth Monday when he pleaded no contest to injuring two young women, one of them seriously, in a collision July 5.

Albert T. Bowman, 49, was convicted of two counts of assault and one of driving while intoxicated.

The assaults charged are both felonies with 10- and 20-year maximum penalties. Because his previous DWI's were more than five years ago, the current DWI is a misdemeanor with a one-year maximum.

According to witnesses, Bowman was driving a pickup the wrong way on a busy street shortly after midnight when he slammed into a Ford Escort driven by Jacqueline Fetherolf, 20.

Fetherolf, who was in court Monday, suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries and has recovered.

Her passenger that night, Gloria Steelman, 19, sustained such severe head injuries that her survival was in question for a time, Fetherolf said. Steelman underwent multiple surgeries, spent more than three months in the hospital, and faces another two years ''for an almost-full recovery,'' she said.

Superior Court Judge Elaine Andrews scheduled Bowman's sentencing for after the new year.