A man, accused of damaging Brookfield Township Community Park by doing doughnuts with his pickup in a field, referred repeatedly to his recovery when he entered a guilty plea to reduced charges Aug. 23.
“I haven’t had drugs and alcohol in five months,” Shawn A. Tierney told Trumbull County Eastern District Court Judge Rob Platt.
At other times in the hearing, Tierney said: “I plan on staying sober.” “Addiction is a killer.” “As long as I continue with my meetings, I’m good.”
Platt gave Tierney credit for the time he had spent in rehab instead of levying a jail sentence. Still, Tierney will have to undergo drug and alcohol and psychological evaluations.
The incident occurred March 31, when Tierney, 32, of Baden, Pa., drove to the back of the park at about 3:30 p.m. and tore up the lawn.
Members of Brookfield Youth Baseball and Softball were in the park, and board member David DeJoy blocked in Tierney until police arrived.
Police charged Tierney with felony vandalism as well as drunken driving, driving under suspension and disregarding safety.
Tierney’s attorney, J. P. Morgan, bargained the felony charge down to a misdemeanor, criminal damaging, and Tierney pleaded guilty to that charge and drunken driving.
The traffic violations were dismissed upon Tierney acknowledging there was a justification for them to be filed.
Platt fined Tierney $850, put him on 11 months’ probation and suspended his driver’s license for two years.
“Your lawyer did one hell of a job for you,” Platt told Tierney.
The township did not put in a restitution request, said Road Superintendent Jaime Fredenburg, because the damage was minor and township employees did the work.