COEUR d’ALENE — A man who prosecutors called a “danger to the community” received a prison sentence for attempting to ram an unmarked police vehicle during a road rage incident.

After a two-day trial, jurors convicted Jonathan D. Manning, 55, of Post Falls, of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony. Manning previously pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, a misdemeanor, in connection with the same case. 

First District Judge Ross Pittman sentenced Manning this week to 15 years in prison for aggravated assault, with parole eligibility after five years. Manning received a sentence of 237 days in jail for the DUI charge, with 237 days' credit for time served. 

Before handing down the sentence Tuesday, Pittman said Manning appeared “remorseless” and exhibited “alarming” behavior, even while in jail. 

“I don’t know if anybody knows what, psychologically, is leading to this,” Pittman said. “This was incredibly dangerous. I think you need substance abuse treatment and to figure out what is causing this behavior. I think you will be given that opportunity.” 

The charges stem from May 2025, prosecutors said, when a detective with the Coeur d’Alene Police Department observed Manning driving a blue Dodge Durango “in an erratic manner” near the intersection of Ironwood Drive and U.S. 95. The detective was in plainclothes and driving an unmarked vehicle. 

Prosecutors said Manning swerved, made an unsafe lane change, cut off the detective’s vehicle and flipped off the detective before turning into a parking lot, at which point the detective lost sight of him. 

The detective tried to locate Manning in the parking lot while requesting a uniformed officer for assistance, according to the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. 

“It was at that time that I looked to the east and observed the Durango bearing down on my vehicle at a high rate of speed,” the detective wrote in a report. “Manning had his eyes towards me and appeared to be yelling.” 

Prosecutors said the detective sped up and pulled around to avoid being T-boned by Manning’s vehicle. 

As both vehicles came to a stop, prosecutors said Manning got out of his vehicle and began approaching the detective while shouting. 

The detective activated his vehicle’s emergency lights and detained Manning until other officers arrived. 

A sample of Manning’s blood collected during the investigation showed that he had methamphetamine in his system at the time of the incident, according to the prosecutor’s office. 

At sentencing, prosecutors pointed to an anonymous post in a public Facebook group dated April 19, 2025, which included a photo of Manning’s Durango and described an alleged encounter with Manning. 

“It was aggressive, unprovoked and very threatening,” the poster said. 

The poster described the Durango speeding up alongside their vehicle before cutting in front and slamming on the brakes. The driver, purported to be Manning, allegedly jumped out of the Durango, approached the other vehicle and accused the poster of following him. 

“I had never followed him — I was just driving through,” the poster said. “His behavior was completely unhinged and terrifying.” 

Prosecuting attorney Laura McClinton said Manning has taken no accountability for his actions and argued that his anger issues don’t appear to stem from mental illness or substance abuse problems.

She said a longer term of imprisonment was appropriate in the case because Manning needs the time to “learn how to better cope with his issues.” 

“This type of behavior has no place in our society,” McClinton said. 

Defense counsel described Manning as a “broken person” who experienced trauma in his childhood that has shaped him as an adult. 

“Some of the anger issues can be tied to his upbringing,” said defense attorney Jonathan Williams. 

After receiving his sentence, Manning called the detective, who was present in the courtroom, a “piece of s--t,” according to court records. 

Manning has three previous DUI convictions, according to the prosecutor’s office, in 1993, 1999 and 2007.