MADISON - A Dane County judge told Brian Lawler on Thursday that if his goal was to frighten and intimidate his neighbors, he succeeded. But he also earned himself an eight-year prison sentence.

"You have ruined that neighborhood," Dane County Circuit Judge Patrick Fiedler told Lawler. "Some of the victims talk about what a great place to live that was until you and your family moved in."

Lawler, 43, was convicted in July of eight counts of stalking for a seven-year campaign of intimidation and harassment of his neighbors on Madison's East Side.

Lawler's neighbors said that once they had fallen into Lawler's bad graces, he threw trash in their yards, followed them around in their cars and made threatening gestures toward them, among other acts. He also got his children involved in the harassment and had them watching and videotaping the neighbors.

In essence, Fiedler said, it made the lives of Lawler's neighbors "a living hell."

Fiedler said he has never seen a case like Lawler's in his 29-year career. Taken separately, he said, each act Lawler committed could be dismissed as a dispute between neighbors. But together they showed that Lawler simply wanted power and control over his neighbors, not to resolve disputes.

"If I was one of those neighbors, I would know there was no way I could talk to you on a rational basis," Fiedler told Lawler.

Fiedler also sentenced Lawler to 17 years of extended supervision after his release from prison.

A new state law, however, could shorten Lawler's prison sentence by as much as two years if he behaves and succeeds in programs such as mental health or anger management treatment while in prison.

The Risk Reduction Sentence provision, which took effect Oct. 1, allows some inmates to be considered for release to extended supervision after serving 75 percent of their in-prison time. Fiedler said Lawler is eligible for risk reduction.

Lawler apologized for his actions and said he and his family are trying to sell their house on Steinies Drive, but cannot find another they can afford.

"I thought I was teaching my kids values, the Ten Commandments," Lawler said, "but I didn't see the irony of 'love thy neighbor.' I thought I was doing the right thing."