Daily Staff Writer

A former Iowa State student was placed on two years probation Monday and fined $750 for his part in a staged shooting in Ames last December.

Matthew Bergman, 19, was convicted of felonious reckless use of a firearm, aggravated assault and filing a false report, according to an article in The Des Moines Register.

Story County District Court Judge Carl Peterson gave him a five-year suspended sentence and rejected his plea for a deferred judgment, which would have wiped the crime off Bergman’s record after successfully completing probation.

Bergman was shot by his friend, Timothy Hedden, 19, in Stuart Smith Park, 1501 S. 4th St., in a scheme to impress Julie Rens, junior in architecture.

Bergman, who was a freshman in pre-architecture at the time of the incident, arranged for Rens to meet him at the park on the night of Dec. 16, 1997, according to investigators.

When Rens arrived at the park, Hedden grabbed her and threatened her with a loaded gun. Then, police said, Bergman made an effort to “save Rens.”

In the scuffle that resulted, the gun went off, wounding Bergman in the shoulder. The two men disagree over why a shot was fired — Bergman says it was an accident, while Hedden claims it was planned all along.

Hedden, who was a student at the University of Northern Iowa, also received two years probation and a $750 fine.

In addition, both men will be required to pay for any counseling Rens receives.