BRENTWOOD - The teenager who called in bomb threats that canceled Timberlane Regional High School’s senior prom in May was sentenced to one year in prison Tuesday, despite pleas from family members that his sentence be reduced.

Jeffrey Nelson, 19, of Cambridge, Mass., pleaded guilty to two counts of calling in a false report of explosives in October. Rockingham County Superior Court judge Patricia Coffey sentenced Nelson to 12 months in prison on one count. The other count was a negotiated sentence of two to four years in prison, all of which is suspended for three years with conditions for good behavior.

On May 21, about 400 prom-goers were evacuated from Castleton Banquet and Conference Center, in Windham, after an employee there received a phone call telling him to evacuate the building

because there was a bomb. Two more calls were made shortly after. A second prom was organized by parents and local businesses two weeks later.

Nelson said he drank about 25 beers before he called in the threats to get back at an ex-girlfriend, a Timberlane High School student, who attended the prom.

Nelson was convicted earlier this year in Plaistow District Court on three counts of making harassing phone calls to the ex-girlfriend and her family after the bomb threats. He completed a six-month sentence at Rockingham County Jail before Tuesday’s sentencing.

In Nelson’s statement, before the sentencing, he said he has "sobered up" while in prison and is feeling much better mentally and physically. He said he wasn’t thinking rationally at the time of the incident and he wanted community service to be part of the sentence so he could do some good.

"I feel horrible about what I’ve done," said Nelson. "I’m sorry I did it, I’m sorry I ruined everybody’s’ night and I’m also sorry I dragged (ex-girlfriend’s) family into it."

In her sentencing, Coffey said the threats were not "one stupid act" and Nelson’s conduct before and after the threats concerned her. She said she was not sure Nelson’s actions were an aberration of character.

"You went right to the top of the charts on this one, this is a serious felony offense," said Coffey. "In these days of heightened concern about terrorism and bomb threats, it becomes even more serious. And you add on top of that the hundreds of people that were in that building that you knew were going to be there."

In addition to the prison sentence, Coffey ordered Nelson to continue to undergo counseling and treatment to be decided by his probation officer, as well as one year of probation on each count. He was also ordered not to have contact with the ex-girlfriend or her family.

Nelson has already served 81 days for the felony charges, which will go toward his 12-month sentence.

Nelson’s lawyer, Patrick Donovan of Salem, had asked for a four-month sentence, counseling and 100 hours community service because "he needs to get back to his support system."

Several members of Nelson’s family, including his grandfather and father, asked Coffey to release Nelson to them along with counseling. Several family members said correspondence with Nelson in the last seven months led them to believe he has made serious changes.

"The time he’s been in there I’ve seen some big changes in him," said Nelson’s father, Mark, who apologized for his son’s actions. "And I think that he has learned his lesson and he would be better served with his family."

Donovan said the court should take into account that all the events occurred during a seven-month period where Nelson was depressed, which tarnished an otherwise clean criminal record.

"We’re looking at a very brief time span in a young man’s very young life, and I think we’re making judgments on a very small sample," said Donovan.

Assistant County Attorney Patricia Conway argued that Nelson made a conscious decision to get revenge, evidenced by the repeated calls and continued harassment of the ex-girlfriend. His actions, Conway said, disrupted his ex-girlfriend’s family, as well as the students attending the prom and emergency services that responded.

"In the big scheme of events is a high school prom that important? No, it’s not," said Conway. "But when you’re a high school student ... it means a lot for a kid, and he ruined the prom for a number of high school students that night and I think that should be taken into consideration."

Coffey acknowledged the claims of Nelson’s family that he had changed while serving the time he has and that he will have a strong support system when he leaves prison. She said she also considered a letter from the ex-girlfriend’s mother

"You have a lot of living left to do," said Coffey to Nelson. "And you have to find the right path in this life or you’re going down and you’re going to be taking people down with you ... so I’m very concerned about your rehabilitation."