In brief: Vandal on video found guilty in plea deal

Caught-on-tape vandal Darren Thiesen is guilty of committing a “felony stupid,” his attorney told 1st District Judge Fred Gibler during a sentencing hearing Friday at the Kootenai County Courthouse.

Attorney Fiona Kennedy asked Gibler to grant Thiesen, 24, a withheld judgment for breaking into and burglarizing a Hayden private investigations firm.

“I think this has been a big wake-up call for him,” Kennedy said.

Thiesen was arrested in January for felony burglary and felony malicious injury to property after surveillance footage from Confidential Investigations – showing Thiesen staring directly into the camera and trying to spray-paint the lens – was released to news media.

The felony burglary charge was dismissed through a plea deal.

Gibler sentenced Thiesen to supervised probation with a four-year prison sentence hanging over his head. Thiesen was ordered to pay restitution and spend 30 days in jail, with work release.

– Taryn Brodwater

Commission plans town hall meeting

The Kootenai County commission is having a town hall meeting Wednesday in Bayview.

Commissioners want to visit every area of the county to give residents a chance to talk with the elected officials.

There is no agenda for the 6 p.m. forum at the Bayview Community Center.

The gatherings are modeled after get-togethers hosted by state legislators who return from Boise and want to tell residents what’s happening at the Capitol.

For more information, call (208) 446-1600.

—Erica Curless

Pocatello, Idaho

Teen killers receive life without parole

Two teenagers convicted of killing a high school classmate have been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik were sentenced Friday by 6th District Court Judge Peter D. McDermott. Each received life sentences for first-degree murder and 30 years to life for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Draper and Adamcik were convicted of killing Cassie Jo Stoddart. They were arrested Sept. 27, five days after Stoddart was stabbed as many as 30 times while housesitting for relatives.

All three were 16-year-old juniors at Pocatello High School at the time.

Mark Hiedeman, Bannock County prosecuting attorney, said the motive for the killing was that Draper and Adamcik, now 17, wanted to be famous like serial killers.

“And they wanted to both know how it felt to actually kill someone,” Hiedeman said Friday.

–Associated Press