Teen given 4 months for vandalism spree.

Byline: Rebecca Nolan The Register-Guard

When Andrew Jay Thompson and a buddy decided to drive around Springfield and shoot out car windows last month for kicks, they didn't think about the consequences.

They didn't wonder who would pay to replace all that shattered glass, or who would compensate the victims for lost work time, delayed vacations, higher insurance premiums and leaner holidays.

But Thompson, 18, will have plenty of time to consider the choices he made Nov. 19 when he squeezed off shot after shot from his air-powered BB gun, shattering windows of cars and trucks belonging to 59 people who had done nothing to him.

Wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and baggy jeans, Thompson pleaded guilty Thursday to four felony counts and one misdemeanor count of criminal mischief. Lane County Circuit Judge Karsten Rasmussen sentenced him to four months in jail, three years' probation and restitution that could run as high as $11,000. He was ordered to begin serving his sentence by Jan. 2.

Defense attorney Margaret Maginnis said her client was contrite, and that his parents had offered to let him live at home for free until he repaid all his victims.

"I realize my actions affected other people," Thompson told the judge before sentencing. "It was very unnecessary for me to do so."

His partner in the shootings, Jason David Satterlee, also 18 and a resident of Springfield, likewise pleaded guilty earlier this month and was sentenced to 13 months in prison due to his more extensive criminal history.

Police and prosecutors have said Thompson did much of the shooting that night.

Deputy District Attorney David Schwartz read aloud letters from two of Thompson's victims - one from a man recently diagnosed with cancer who relies on his car to get to chemotherapy appointments at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland, and the other from a couple forced to replace their windows with money they had saved for moving expenses.

Eric Scheidt of Springfield told the court he lost a day's work and delayed an annual bird hunting trip when he discovered windows in his truck and canopy shattered. It also cost his employee a full day's work. In all, the repairs could total $1,700. "I just don't understand what you're thinking," Scheidt told Thompson.

Thompson's attorney said the young man will probably work a minimum-wage job when his jail term is completed. After the first 18 months of probation he can petition to court to change his status if all the restitution has been paid.

The conviction on four felony counts means Thompson will go to prison if he is arrested again for a property crime, Schwartz said.