Attorneys for Allen Maurice Diggs and the county agreed Thursday, Feb. 25, to a settlement conference in the case of the Sweet Home man who faces two charges of felon in possession of a firearm.
Diggs, 73, appeared in Linn County Circuit Feb. 25 for an early resolution conference. His attorney, Tyler Reid, and Deputy District Attorney Richard Wijers agreed to a settlement conference, which will be held at 11:30 a.m. on March 22.
Diggs faces the felon-in-possession charges from incidents on Nov. 6, 2015 and Jan. 5, 2016.
After his Jan. 5 arrest, he was cited for driving uninsured and driving while suspended while he was on conditional release. Those charges were dismissed.
According to court documents, the state intends to seek an enhanced sentence if Diggs is convicted on the firearm possession charges.
Wijers filed that notice on Jan. 6, stating that the degree of loss or harm in Diggs’ case is “significantly greater than typical for such offense” and “the defendant’s criminal history, history of supervision, and history of incarceration show that future efforts to rehabilitate defendant will not be successful, and that substantial incarceration is necessary to protect the public.”
In 1995, Diggs was convicted in Linn County District Court of first-degree animal abuse for shooting and killing a dog, and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, incidents that occurred in Sweet Home.
In 1997, while he was incarcerated, he was convicted in Marion County Court on four counts of solicitation to commit aggravated murder.
According to court documents, he solicited a fellow inmate to murder two witnesses who testified against him in the animal abuse case. The other two counts were for solicitation to kill the witnesses’ two children.
The Associated Press reported in March 1997 that the former inmate testified “that Diggs offered him $1,000 and his motorcycle to kill the family. He said Diggs gave him a map and floor plan of the family’s house, noting a door usually kept unlocked,” according to the article.
After that conviction, Diggs was sentenced to 20 years and eight months in prison. He appealed the conviction, but his appeal was dismissed. Diggs was released from prison in February of 2009.
It is unknown how long Diggs has been in Sweet Home since his release but, according to court documents he was cited in 2010 for violation of the open container in a motor vehicle law and failure to maintain a lane.
The 2010 court documents list a Sweet Home address.