JOPLIN, Mo. -- A southwest Missouri teenager admits to shooting his grandmother repeatedly with an air rifle.

In a plea agreement, Dustin Howe, 18, of Alba, pleaded guilty Monday to felony assault and was given a suspended sentence. His grandmother, Patty Howe, said at a preliminary hearing in June that the teen shot pink pellets that hit her eye, hip and legs over a two- or three-day period.

The woman also said that Dustin and his girlfriend thought it was "cute" and laughed about it during the January attacks at their home in Alba, north of Joplin. She testified that she bought the air rifle, and that her grandson had turned it on her in cruel jest.

A police affidavit said that Howe's son, Del Howe, told officers that his mother was "crazy" and that she "probably shot herself" to get her grandson in trouble.