Instead, Lansing’s 30th Circuit Court’s Judge Paula Manderfield sentenced Thompson to five years of probation with a requirement to perform 400 hours of community service, maintain 30 hours per week employment, continue to receive psychological treatment, have no contact with animals and pay more than $5,000 in court fines and restitution.

It is clear this case is more involved than what can be seen on the surface. Thompson suffers from bipolar disorder, which can cause deep anger and episodes of rage.

He has been receiving psychological treatment and will continue to receive treatment during his probation.

But that does not dismiss the fact that he allegedly killed 13 dogs, which were primarily one- to five-pound puppies.

People are sentenced to jail time for much less than what Thompson pleaded guilty to; those who committed similar offenses have received harsher punishments. NFL quarterback Michael Vick, for example, spent 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to his involvement in an illegal dog fighting — not murdering — ring.

It’s surprising the Lansing court has decided probation to be Thompson’s maximum punishment.

Thompson did have a clean record before committing these brutal animal killings, and hopefully probation serves him well enough to keep him from perpetrating such violent actions later in life. But it still is concerning to know he was a medical student who now has a felony on his record, most likely keeping him from accomplishing an actual career.

Hopefully, over time, this does not put him in an unstable mental state, possibly causing more frequent bipolar episodes, which could have a detrimental effect on his mental therapy.

Regardless, Thompson has killed living creatures in the past, and there’s no saying he might not do it again.

It is the desire of Thompson and his attorney that he be allowed to return to Arizona to be with his parents. But if the judge has decided to put him on probation, he should be kept in Ingham County so the court and his probation officer can continue to closely monitor his actions. He should not be allowed to leave the state after committing such violent crimes, even if it is to be with his parents.

It’s difficult to justify whether or not Thompson’s sentencing was severe enough for the crimes he committed. Although he suffers from a mental disorder, that does not excuse what he did. Hopefully the court does not have reason to regret its decision in the future.