Cincinnati woman sentenced for driving drunk, wrong way on I-74

(LAWRENCEBURG, Ind.) – A Cincinnati woman has been sentenced to jail for a drunk-driving incident that led to a police cruiser being struck in 2025. 

Investigators say 35-year-old Erin Dowers was driving the wrong way on I-74 near the Indiana/Ohio state line during the early morning hours of August 17.

A state trooper located her vehicle driving east in the westbound lanes near the 161 mile marker. 

In an effort to stop her, ISP Trooper Brian Weigel positioned his cruiser in front of Dowers vehicle and the two collided at a slow rate of speed. 

Nobody was seriously hurt in the collision, however, it did lead Dowers to be taken into custody. 

“Troopers were forced to make split-second decisions while attempting to locate and stop the vehicle before an innocent motorist or responding officer was seriously injured or killed,” Dearborn County Prosecutor Lynn Deddens said.

A Dearborn County jury found Dowers guilty of Criminal Recklessness With a Deadly Weapon, Operating While Intoxicated, and Operating a Vehicle with an Alcohol Concentration Equivalent of .15 or More. 

Dowers has received a jail sentence of approximately nine months in jail.

She has also been ordered to one year of probation, community service and her license has been suspended for one year. 

The case was prosecuted by Dearborn County Deputy Prosecutors Jonathan Kunkel and Brendan Jones. The investigation was led by Trooper Weigel of the Indiana State Police. 

Following the sentencing, Prosecutor Lynn Deddens credited the police officers who responded to that incident and helped prevent a tragedy.

"These officers willingly placed themselves in harm's way, in darkness and under extremely dangerous conditions, to stop a wrong-way driver before innocent lives. were lost. Their professionalism, courage, and quick decision-making protected not only the motoring public, but potentially each other as well," she said.

Deddens added, "We are fortunate to have law enforcement officers willing to face that kind of danger in service to our communities."