Iowa man who damaged iconic 'Field of Dreams' site gets probation

By Ryan Gaydos

Published November 21, 2018

Austin Pape, 21, received probation for damaging the "Field of Dreams" site. (Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office)

An Iowa man who damaged the iconic “Field of Dreams” site must serve two to five years of probation and received deferred judgment, which allows his conviction to be scrubbed if he fulfills his terms.

Austin Pape, 21, of Dyersville, pleaded guilty in September to felony criminal mischief after prosecutors dropped a reckless driving charge, according to KCRG-TV.

Pape acknowledged driving onto the field on Jan. 22, which is located in Dyersville about 140 miles northeast of Des Moines. The site is visited by thousands of people each year.

Al Steffen, the field manager for the site, told Fox News in January that workers discovered the damage the day after Pape drove onto the baseball diamond.

Damage to the "Field of Dreams" movie site in Dyersville, Iowa, is visible after a vandal drove onto the field. (Al Steffen)

The field in eastern Iowa, created for the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams" starring Kevin Costner, has been hit by vandals before. Pape’s damage was visible in center and left field.

“The way they did the donuts in center field, they could have done damage to the sprinkler system,” Steffen told Fox News at the time.

Tire track damage can be seen on the "Field of Dreams" movie site in Dyersville, Iowa (Al Steffen)

Pape caused more than $5,000 in damage and will also have to pay a $750 fine, KCRG-TV reported.

Fox News’ Travis Fedschun and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/iowa-man-who-damaged-iconic-field-of-dreams-site-gets-probation