GRAND FORKS, ND (trfnews.i234.me) – A former corrections officer has been ordered to pay over $28,000 in restitution after slashing the tires of 45 victims in a bizarre vandalism spree that left many without transportation.
Matthew Morris, 32, deflated the tires in the middle of the night in October 2023. All the victims lived within a few blocks of his north end home near Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Kathryn Jund, Grand Forks County Assistant State’s Attorney, told Judge Jason McCarthy that the “costs in this case are reasonable damages sustained by the victims.” In all, the prosecution asked a judge to force Morris to pay more than $29,000. Some victims were required to buy more than one tire due to the wear on other tires.
“But for the defendant’s actions, none of these tires would have had to be replaced at this specific point in time,” Jund said.
The defense argued that the amount was closer to $20,000. They stated that more than a dozen victims provided no documentation as to why they needed to replace multiple tires. McCarthy seemed irritated at times Wednesday that the defense kept pushing the issue about having to replace more than one tire on a car, calling it common knowledge.
McCarthy did agree to remove a few of the reimbursement claims that were not tires, which lowered the total amount to about $28,000. Morris will spend four years behind bars for the Grand Forks tire-slashing spree and a burglary conviction in Nelson County. Based on the restitution schedule discussed in court, it could take close to a decade for Morris to pay back all victims.