Little girl scores incredible victory after her pet goat was butchered and barbecued by California county

A nine-year-old girl won an impressive victory in her fight for justice after her beloved goat was taken by California county deputies, butchered and barbecued.

The ordeal occurred when Cedar the goat was seized as part of a program designed to teach young people how to care for farm animals.

Two years later, after a bitter legal dispute, Shasta County agreed to pay $300,000 to the girl’s family to settle the dispute over the beast.

“Unfortunately, this lawsuit cannot bring Cedar home,” said Vanessa Shakib, an attorney representing the family. “But the $300,000 settlement with the County of Shasta and the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office is the first step forward.”

The unimaginable ordeal occurred when the young girl’s beloved companion, Cedar, was captured as part of a program designed to teach young people how to care for farm animals, despite the family’s desperate pleas and emotional protests.

Jessica Long bought Cedar, a seven-month-old white Boer, in April 2022 and the animal quickly became attached to her nine-year-old daughter – who fed and cared for him every day.

However, the family decided to enter Cedar into the Shasta District Fair’s junior livestock auction on June 24, 2022, where the animals will be sold for use as meat.

But long before the auction started, the family changed their minds and wanted to take Cedar off the ticket. The exchange denied the request and sold it – so the mother brazenly stole the goat back before it was given to the buyer.

What followed was a wild goat chase, with officers sent hundreds of miles across the province to retrieve the goat via a search warrant, before handing it over to individuals believed to have killed Cedar and displaying it for their guests at a grilled barbecue.

But even with their recent victory and the promise of a whopping sum of money, the Long family still has no answers as it remains unclear who actually slaughtered the goat, which was purchased at the fair for $902.

Long’s family purchased Cedar, a seven-month-old white Boer, in April 2022 and the animal quickly became attached to her nine-year-old daughter – who fed and cared for it every day.

Long before the auction began, the family changed their mind and wanted to take Cedar off the ticket, but the fair denied the request and sold it.

Vanessa Shakib, Jessica Long’s attorney

Shakib said fair and county officials have engaged in “obstructive discovery tactics” throughout the yearslong proceeding to avoid answering burning questions about what actually happened to the goat, and what role officials played in its seizure taking and ultimately killing the beloved animal. .

“Years later, this case still has a number of unanswered questions,” Shakib said.

Text messages revealed during the federal trial suggest that exchange officials tried to conceal what actually happened to Cedar and who was involved.

Shasta Fair Association livestock manager BJ Macfarlane wrote in a text message to Shasta Fair CEO Melanie Silva on July 22, 2022: “Kathy said okay but no one needs to know about this.”

The message referred to Kathie Muse, a volunteer for the 4-H program and organizer of the county barbecue.

“It’s just me and Kathy. It was killed and donated to a non-profit organization if anyone asks for it,” Macfarlane added.

“We are a non-profit organization,” Silva replied, adding a series of embarrassed and laughing emoticons.

But even with the promise of the enormous sum, Long’s daughter still has no answers

The Long family’s attorneys have since argued that discovering who allegedly killed Cedar and who contacted police is critical to their ongoing case, as Long made contact before her daughter’s pet was slaughtered.

The Long family’s lawyers have since argued that discovering Cedar’s butcher and who contacted police is crucial to their case.

Long and her attorney reportedly contacted sheriff, fair and county officials before the goat was slaughtered, claiming they were disputing ownership of the goat. the adored farm animal.

Still, someone decided that Cedar would be seized and then killed, despite their knowledge of an upcoming lawsuit, Shakib said.

County officials still deny any wrongdoing.

“The county has done nothing wrong, but we recognize the risks and costs associated with a lawsuit, which is why we have agreed to settle the case,” Christopher Pisano, a Shasta County attorney, said in an email to The Los Angeles Times.

“We’re glad we can move on and put this matter behind us.”

Shakib said attorneys are still investigating the discovery, including phone records, to try to figure out what happened to Cedar, as Long and her daughter still have claims against Shasta District Fair employees and a 4-H volunteer.