Student enters guilty plea for assault with slingshot

A 15-year-old Lewis and Clark High School student pleaded guilty Thursday to shooting two classmates with a slingshot and metal ball bearings that knocked out several of one victim’s teeth.

Time Richard Meippen pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree assault and was sentenced to 40 days of detention, with credit for 35 already served. Spokane County Juvenile Court Judge Ellen Kalama Clark also sentenced Meippen to 70 hours of community service and a year of probation.

He may move to Micronesia, where his father lives, and complete his sentence there if allowed by an interstate compact, Clark ruled. Meanwhile, Meippen’s mother plans to come to Spokane from Hawaii and assume custody. Meippen had been living with an aunt.

Meippen originally was charged with two counts of second-degree assault in the May 12 incident.

Clark scheduled a restitution hearing Sept. 15 to determine how much Meippen must pay classmate Jack R. Taylor, 15, for implants to replace lost teeth. The other victim, Vincent Spivey, 16, was less seriously injured.

According to court records, Meippen claimed he was angry with Taylor and Spivey when he shot them outside the high school at about 10:20 a.m. Detention officers who evaluated Meippen said he was “glib” and showed no remorse.

Police said Meippen tried to get out of his handcuffs when he was arrested.

He had been suspended from school about two months earlier for using his slingshot on a bus, according to court documents that gave no details.