Nick Sculac with some of the big cats at Serenity Springs Wildlife Center. (THE GAZETTE | Carol Lawrence)
Nick Sculac, co-founder of the Calhan-area big cat sanctuary Serenity Springs Wildlife Center, was led out of court in handcuffs Tuesday after being sentenced for theft.
But his stay behind bars will be short. Under the terms of a plea agreement, he was sentenced to serve six years at community corrections, a halfway house. His attorney said Sculac could be allowed to live outside the facility within six to eight months.
Sculac, 60, pleaded guilty to bilking a volunteer at the center out of $40,500. The volunteer was mauled by a tiger, and Sculac falsely claimed the money was needed to pay fines related to the attack, according to court documents.
"You've been a con artist," 4th Judicial District Judge David Gilbert told Sculac, noting his two prior felony convictions. "You've been misusing people. You've been picking on people who are in a vulnerable state."
www.bigcatrescue.org