Man jailed after ramming lounge entrance

PONDERAY - A Ponderay man was arrested early Saturday morning after allegedly ramming his sport utility vehicle into the west entrance of a lounge during a dispute with a bartender.

Shaun Lee Spencer is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, in this case a 1992 Jeep Cherokee. Judge Barbara Buchanan set Spencer's bail at $20,200 and appointed a public defender to represent him, court records show.

Spencer, 30, is also barred from contacting the 28-year-old bartender.

Ponderay Police were summoned to the Hideaway Lounge in the Bonner Mall after Spencer drove the Jeep into a back door. The bartender was knocked back 20-30 feet and went unconscious, a police report said.

Spencer reportedly told police he only meant to frighten the bartender, not harm or kill him. Spencer said he drove into the entrance upon seeing the bartender shove his girlfriend to the ground.

The bartender, according to the police report, said Spencer's companions had become belligerent and began fighting with one another. One of the companions threw a punch at the bartender, who responded by punching out the aggressor, the report said.

Spencer's 22-year-old girlfriend attempted to retrieve a coat from the lounge, which devolved into an altercation with the bartender, the report indicates. The bartender alleges the woman slapped him in the face, he pushed her away and saw the Jeep bearing down on the entrance.

Spencer was also arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, court records indicate.