A Hobart man who authorities say sexually abused and killed a chicken at a Valparaiso motel in 2001 has been indicted by a federal grand jury, according to published reports on Friday.
Michael Bessigano, 37, now faces a charge of using the Internet to receive images depicting bestiality, according to the Times of Northwest Indiana. The indictment alleges Bessigano committed the crime between February and June. Bessigano, who was in the Lake County Jail on Thursday, has been jailed since July, when he was arrested and charged with a crime similar to the one alleged in the indictment, according to the paper.
Bessigano was slated for a jury trial on that charge until a judge dismissed the charge last week.
Bessigano served more than four years in prison for the 2002 animal cruelty conviction for having sex with a chicken, then killing the animal. He was released from prison on Jan. 29, then arrested again on June 12 on allegations of a parole violation, according to the paper. Bessigano was released on June 30, then arrested again on July 3 on the federal charge.
