Miller suffered a burned face and some hearing loss from the blast, but brushes it aside.

"It's been stated that it was fortunate for me that I didn't get hurt, and I was about 3 feet from the device," Miller told Judge Fred Howard. "It's not fortunate, I wish I would have died. I hurt a child by my actions."

Miller became emotional as he looked back at his son on the front row. "I have a boy that age."

Attorney Mark Ethington told the judge that Miller has no criminal history and was only trying to entertain neighborhood children for the July holiday. A friend suggested Miller put the black powder in a metal tube to direct the sparklers up, rather than out. Twice, the sparklers went as they should.

"The third time they tried it, the explosion occurred," Ethington said. "No one still understands (or) knows why. At the most it was poor judgement ... but there was no intent at all to do any harm to Bridger or anyone."

Ethington said Miller has sworn to give up his hobby of muzzleloading and working with black powder.

Yet, because of the harm, prosecutor John Nielsen requested jail time, which he said might also allow Miller to feel that he has "paid some debt to society."

"It's a rare case to have such a penitent defendant and a forgiving victim," Nielsen added.

Bridger, who demonstrated outside the courtroom how he can do wheelies in his wheelchair, was a bit nervous and didn't address the judge, but told the media that he's not mad at Miller.

"I do stupid stuff," Bridger said. "It was stupid of him, but it was just a mistake."

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E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com