Man gets probation for ‘Field of Dreams’ site vandalism

DUBUQUE, Iowa – A man accused of driving onto and damaging the eastern Iowa baseball field made famous by the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams” must serve two to five years of probation.

Television station KCRG reports that 21-year-old Austin Pape, of Dyersville, also was granted a deferred judgment at his sentencing Monday in Dubuque. A deferred judgment allows Pape’s conviction to be removed from court records if he fulfills his probation terms.

Investigators say Pape acknowledged driving onto the field Jan. 22. The field sits just outside Dyersville, 140 miles (220 kilometres) northeast of Des Moines. Thousands of people visit the property every year, running around the bases and walking to the surrounding cornfields.

Pape pleaded guilty in September to felony criminal mischief after prosecutors dropped a charge of reckless driving.