Scottie Mayfield's son gets probation in vandalism case

The son of Republican dairy businessman Scottie Mayfield pleaded guilty to vandalism Monday, concluding the tire-slashing saga that played a role in deflating his father's congressional campaign.

Michael Mayfield, 34, received a year of unsupervised probation and paid about $500 in restitution and court costs, according to Bill Reedy, the Roane County, Tenn., prosecutor in the case.

"Except for the personalities involved, it was pretty mundane," Reedy said of Monday's hearing.

Michael Jenne, Mayfield's lawyer, could not be reached for comment.

Aside from the fines, the younger Mayfield is unlikely to be punished any further if he stays out of trouble for a year. Assuming that's the case, Reedy said, Mayfield will get the opportunity to clear his record, owing to a clean criminal history before the incident.

On April 24, at a Scottie Mayfield for Congress event at the Roane County Courthouse, surveillance cameras caught Michael Mayfield leaving his father's campaign bus, walking across the parking lot and slashing the left rear tire of Tyler Threadgill's 2005 Audi.

Threadgill manages campaigns for Scottie Mayfield's then-opponent U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, the Republican incumbent in Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District.

Another Fleischmann aide and Threadgill had attended the event to videotape Scottie Mayfield's planned speech, a common part of opposition research in campaigns.

A political newcomer, Mayfield issued an apology after his son confessed, but later was caught on tape saying, "I'm not ashamed of why he did it" after "those two guys followed us around for two days."

Fleischmann won the Aug. 2 Republican primary. He faces Democrat Mary Headrick in the Nov. 6 general election.

Threadgill declined to comment on behalf of himself and the congressman.

Contact staff writer Chris Carroll at ccarroll@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6610.