Bessigano, DOB 9/13/70, has a long history of animal abuse dating back to 1991.  He was arrested twice, for breaking a rooster's neck and after he was found in a neighbors goose pen attempting to molest the birds.

He was caught July 15, 1991, in a Cedar Lake pen with dead chickens, and on Dec. 13, 1991, a Schererville man found Bessigano standing in his chicken coop with a dead rooster at his feet. In both cases the fowls' necks had been snapped.

Bessigano, age 21, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor trespassing charge, paid a $500 fine and agreed to get counseling during a year of informal probation.

In July 1992, Bessigano unchained a 120 pound Rottweiler, known as Khan, from a barn on CJ Ranch, took the dog to a field some 2000 feet from the barn and killed it by breaking its neck.

People here say for years dead cats and dogs have turned up in their yards, chickens and turkeys have disappeared from pens, and sheep and goats have been found barely alive with electrical cords wrapped around their feet or necks.

The residents of unincorporated areas of St. John and Center townships along Cline Avenue said they suspected Michael Bessigano was torturing and killing animals. Now that the 21-year-old Center Township man is in jail for allegedly stealing and possibly killing a dog, they want him to stay there.

More than 70 people met at Carol Craig's CJ Ranch to talk about their fears.  "It is important that enough people get together to force the prosecutor's office to take appropriate action to get Michael permanently off the streets before a human is his next victim," wrote Marge E. Breclaw, who took notes at the meeting.

Judge Bernard Carter ordered that Bessigano, of the 6900 block of Blaine Street, be held at Lake County jail without bond on theft and trespassing charges because he had violated terms of his probation. County police are seeking animal cruelty charges against him in connection with the killing of a dog reported stolen from CJ Ranch.

Craig's 2-year-old Rottweiler, Kahn, was found Saturday with his neck broken, lying in a field near Craig's horse ranch in the 7400 block of West 87th Avenue in St. John Township. There was no other sign of injury to the 90- pound dog, said Lake County Detective Robert Porras.

"The vet said it was a clean break - one snap," Porras said.  Porras said Bessigano admitted taking the dog from the barn where it was chained during the night, but said the rope lead around Kahn's neck caused his death.

"He said he was an 'animal lover.' His original attempt was to seize a horse, but he decided on the dog instead," Porras said.  Porras said he was able to connect the dog theft to Bessigano after a 10- year-old girl who was riding her horse at CJ Ranch said Bessigano threatened her.

According to a police report, the girl told Porras that a man fitting Bessigano's description jumped out of the bushes and yelled, "You better keep your horse away from here or the killer will strike again."  Craig said Bessigano had been at her ranch on several occasions.

"I always felt sorry for him because of his appearance," Craig said, referring to Bessigano's slight build and coke-bottle-thick glasses.

In statements written to the prosecutor's office, residents said they had similar encounters with Bessigano and that they feared for the safety of their children.

Bessigano, accused of stealing and breaking the neck of a Rottweiler dog, was ordered to undergo treatment at a private psychiatric hospital.

Judge Bernard Carter of the Lake Superior Court, County Division, said that if the prosecutor's office determines Charter Hospital in Hobart has facilities to detain Bessigano, he will be treated there for 28 days.

Carter's decision came at what was to have been a competency hearing for Bessigano to determine whether he is mentally able to stand trial on a charges of theft, a class D felony, and criminal trespassing and cruelty to animals, both class A misdemeanors.

Bessigano has been held without bond since his arrest.

Update 2/18/94:

Bessigano, now 22, of 9611 Blaine St. was charged with attempted theft, a felony and trespassing, a misdemeanor.  The charges occurred after a neighbor told police he heard his german shepherd, named Duke, barking in the back yard around 11:40pm.  The neighbor grabbed a portable spotlight, shined it into his backyard and saw Bessigano on his knees with this arms wrapped around the dog's neck.  The neighbor confronted Bessigano who ran away.  The neighbor also found a plastic bag with a brownish substance inside it lying near the dog.

Warrants from Lake County and the state Parole Board were issued for Bessigano.  Bessigano had been on parole since being released on 1/10/94 from the Indiana Youth Center in Plainfield.  Bessigano had been convicted of killing a dog in February 1993 and sentenced to 3 years in prison.

The latest charges constitute a parole violation.  Bessigano's neighbors stated they are afraid to allow their pets or their children outside without adult supervision.  At least 2 neighbors reported repeated harassment and intimidation by Bessigano.  The judge issued a restraining order on January 28th barring Bessigano form contact with the previous victims.

Bessigano was sent to a Logansport psychiatric care facility where he was charged again with biting a health care provider.  He was released on probation in January 1999.

Bessigano told the staff at the psychiatric care facility that he slept with dead animals, including a raccoon, when he was a child.  While he was in jail, he would sleep under his cot, paint cat-like stripes on his body and make drawings referring to himself as "mast of cats".

Update 5/30/01:

Police found chicken feathers and blood all over a motel room.  The room had been rented to Bessigano, now 30.  Since this is now at least his 3rd offense, Bessigano has been charged not only with having sex with a chicken but as a habitual offender.  Bessigano now faces up to 7 1/2 years in prison if convicted of both charges.

The investigation revealed that Bessigano stole a chicken, took it to his motel room, plucked its feathers so he could have sex with it, killing it.

Bessigano was found guilty and sentenced to a 10 1/2 year prison sentence.

Update 1/24/07:

With Bessigano, now 36, and about to be paroled from jail, a detective with the Lake County Sheriff's Department asked State Representative Linda Lawson, D-Hammond, to introduce legislation that set specific penalties for sexual acts with animals.

House Bill 1387 would make bestiality a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year behind bars and a find of up to $5,000.  The crime would become a Class D felony punishable by up to 3 years in prison if the animal "suffers extreme pain or death".

Bessigano was granted his mandatory release on January 8th but was transferred to Cass County Jail to serve 315 days remaining on a previous probation violation.

Update 7/3/08:

Bessigano, now age 37, was arrested by federal authorities on a charge of transportation of obscene materials involving bestiality between February and June.  US Magistrate Paul Cherry also ordered Bessigano to undergo psychological evaluation to determine whether he was sane at the time of the most recent offense.

Bessigano began using an interactive computer service to download images and videos of bestiality as of February, 2008.

Bessigano served more than 4 years in state prison for a 2002 animal cruelty conviction for stealing a chicken from a farm, having sex with the animals in a motel room, killing it and discarding the carcass.  Although Bessigano had a history of abuse against animals, he could not be charged with bestiality in 2002 because there was no law against it at the time.

On July 3rd, 2008, Bessigano went back to jail after waiving his right to a detention hearing.  After being remanded to the custody of the US Marshals, a pre-trial hearing has been set for August 29th with a jury trial scheduled for September 8th.

Bessigano was now living with his mother and brother in Hobart, IN.  His mother has reported in his previous trials that he is a schizophrenic and the family has struggled to get him adequate treatment.  Bessigano himself, once told investigators he feels he is "an animal trapped in a human body".

Bessigano, Offender ID 0814106, remains in the Lake County Jail.

Reference:

Asairs

Northwest Indiana News

Post Tribune

WTHR 13

United Poultry Concerns