After talking with the professor, Birkeland and they arranged to meet at Thanksgiving Point. However, worried about threats from the professor's son, Birkeland left the computer at the gift shop there, rather than meet.

Prosecutor Craig Johnson requested a restitution hearing in January, because the professor was concerned that the computer had been corrupted and necessary programs and files deleted. Birkeland said the computer worked fine when he got it and when he gave it back to the professor.

Birkeland also faces another charge of theft and forgery, but said it's a misunderstanding related to the same ex-girlfriend and will be resolved once his attorney can talk with the woman.

A no-contest plea carries the same legal weight as a guilty plea, and despite insisting that he didn't steal the computer, Birkeland said doesn't have months and months to fight in court.

"On an integrity level, yeah, it bothers me a lot," he said. "I don't want people to wonder whether something is going to go missing around me. I've never stolen anything."

E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com