OREGON – A convicted cat killer from Springfield admitted just on Monday to violating probation in the felony animal abuse case, and is expected to be sentenced to prison.
Tim Bigelow, who is now 51, pleaded guilty to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in addition to acknowledging that he broke probation requirements by possessing drugs and guns.
Bigelow’s court-appointed attorney, Robert Manders, explained that his client’s plea agreement with prosecutors calls for the Springfield man to be sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.
His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 9.
Bigelow stated in court that he was advised that he could potentially “get twice the amount of time” behind bars if he did not agree to resolve the case.
Bigelow pleaded guilty back in May to a felony charge of first-degree animal abuse for using a pellet gun to shoot and kill a neighbor’s cat in March. He was ordered at the time to serve a very brief jail sentence and be placed on probation for three years.
He was rearrested back on June 10 on the probation violations and has remained in the Lane County Jail since then.
Bigelow has a recent history of animal-related offenses. He was arrested back in January on a second-degree animal neglect charge, and in 2014 he was convicted of the unlawfully killing of a raccoon without a permit, according to court records.
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