Timmers nearly blows deal, gets 34 months

WASHINGTON, July 20 (UPI) -- A man who brought Washington, D.C., traffic to a standstill with a van full of gasoline cans was sentenced Wednesday after nearly blowing a plea deal.

The Washington Post reports Cedar Springs, Mich., resident Lowell W. Timmers was sentenced to 34 months in prison and banned from entering Washington for five years after he's released.

The Jan. 18 standoff between Timmers and police ended peacefully after he threatened to ignite gas cans in his van parked near the White House. Timmers was protesting what he called his son-in-laws's wrongful imprisonment.

The plea deal was almost tossed in June when U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan asked Timmers if there was any chance he'd do it again.

Timmers responded by saying "there's always a chance of anything, Your Honor."