Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Centralia Pastor Bill Bates will be able to keep his record clean if he stays out of trouble, pays restitution and refrains from shooting or killing any animals for the next six months.

Bates, 60, found himself charged with two gross misdemeanors after he admitted he killed his neighbor’s cat with a pellet gun in late February.

Bates is also a Centralia city council member. One of the violations was of a city ordinance which prohibits firing of an air gun at someone else’s animal.

The outcome of the case comes not from a judge or a jury, but something called a non-judicial, non-statutory, diversionary agreement between his lawyer and the prosecutor.

Both the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office and Bates’ lawyer Peter Abbarno said they thought it was a good way to resolve the case. Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher said the owners of the pet were satisfied as well.

Bates has said it was an accident, that he was only trying to run it out of his yard because he was tired of it using his flower beds as a litter box and walking on his clean cars.

The 10-year-old cat “Susie” died in Bates’ yard on the 900 block of Ham Hill Road.

Afterward, he went knocking on the Pannette family’s door and confessed what he’d done.

It’s not an uncommon type of deal that sometimes occurs at the District Court level, Meagher said today.

Bates was originally charged in Centralia Municipal Court which had jurisdiction because it happened inside the city limits. Abbarno was granted a request to move it to Lewis County District Court because of the conflict.

Both lawyers said Bates admits the conduct, but has no criminal history and can keep it that way if he abides by the terms of the agreement.

“The statute requires intent,” Abbarno said. “In the end, I think it was a real fair agreement.”

There will be no fine, but he must pay $110 restitution to the Pannettes, according to the attorneys.

He was scheduled for his arraignment this coming Friday, but the parties went before Lewis County District Court Judge R.W. Buzzard last Friday instead.

Bates pleaded not guilty to killing a pet; the air gun charge had already been dropped.

The agreement means the prosecutor will dismiss the final charge if Bates abides by the terms.

He has apologized publicly, and told the Pannettes he usually shot at the cat’s feet, according to Dusty Pannette.

He has also said what he did was stupid, and he ought to have spoken to his neighbors about his concerns.

Bates is serving his fourth year on the city council and is minister at Destiny Christian Center, an Assemblies of God church on North Tower Avenue in Centralia.
•••

For background, read:

• “Minister, city council member shoots neighbor cat dead with pellet gun” from Thursday March 1, 2012, here

• “Centralia city council member charged for killing neighbor cat” from Tuesday March 6, 2012, here

• “Council member’s lawyer: Cat killing case needs a judge who isn’t paid by the city” from Tuesday March 27, 2012, here

Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter

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