AUBURN – A man who shot at a downtown apartment house in August has pleaded guilty to one count of criminal mischief.

Brett Griffin, 36, of Auburn was released after his appearance Monday in Androscoggin County Superior Court.

He was sentenced to nine months and one day in prison, followed by one year of probation. Justice Ellen Gorman agreed to suspend all but 76 days of the sentence, which is the amount of time that Griffin has already been in custody.

Police say that on Aug. 5 Griffin fired a .22-caliber gun at an apartment door at 66 Shawmut St. No one was in the apartment at the time, and no one was injured.

According to court records, the shooting was related to a drug deal gone bad. Griffin claimed he was simply trying to get the attention of someone who had taken $2,800 from him for crack cocaine, then never delivered the drugs.

Griffin was initially charged with one count of criminal mischief and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

The endangerment charges were the result of police finding Griffin’s three children in his home at 6 Steven Mills Park Road with unsecured firearms and ammunition, court documents say.

The state agreed to drop those charges in exchange for a guilty plea on the criminal mischief charge.

Shortly after his arrest, Griffin underwent a psychiatric evaluation and was sent to the Riverview Psychiatric Center, formerly the Augusta Mental Health Institute. As a condition of his probation, he was ordered to continue treatment for his mental health problems.

He also has been forced to hand over all of his firearms. As a convicted felon, he is not allowed to have any.