Little girl scores incredible victory after her pet goat was slaughtered and grilled in California County

A 9-year-old girl has won a dramatic victory in her fight for justice after her beloved pet goat was taken by California county deputies, slaughtered and grilled.

The ordeal unfolded when Cedar the goat was captured as part of a program aimed at teaching youth how to care for farm animals.

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

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

Jessica Long bought Cedar, a seven-month-old white boer, in April 2022, and the animal soon bonded with her nine-year-old daughter, who fed and cared for him every day.

However, the family decided to put Cedar up for the young cattle auction at the Shasta County Fair on June 24, 2022, where the animals are sold for meat.

But long before the auction began, the family changed their minds and wanted to remove Cedar from the ticket. The fair refused the request and sold it – so the mother brazenly stole the goat back before it was given to the buyer.

A wild goat chase ensued, sending officers hundreds of miles across the county to retrieve the goat under a search warrant and then turn it over to the individuals believed to have killed Cedar and barbecued him for their guests.

But even with the recent victory and the promise of a colossal sum, the Long family still has no answers as it remains unclear who actually slaughtered the goat they bought at the county fair for $902.

Shakib said fair and county officials have used “obstructionist whistle-blowing tactics” over the years to avoid answering burning questions about what really happened to the goat and what role officials played in the capture and eventual killing of such a goat. favorite animal. .

“Years later, there are still several unanswered questions in this case,” Shakib said.

Text messages discovered during the federal lawsuit suggest that fair officials tried to hide what really happened to Cedar and who was involved.

B.J. McFarlane, livestock manager for the Shasta Fair Association, wrote in a July 22, 2022, text message to Shasta Fair CEO Melanie Silva: “Katie said, ‘Okay, but no one needs to know about this.’

The message mentioned Kathy Muse, a 4-H volunteer and organizer of a county barbecue.

“It’s just me and Katie. They killed it and donated it to a non-profit if anyone asks,” McFarlane added.

“We are a non-profit organization,” Silva responded, adding several confused and laughing emojis.

Lawyers for the Long family have since argued that revealing Cedar the butcher and those who contacted law enforcement is vital to their case.

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

However, someone decided that Sedar would be captured and then killed, despite knowing about the pending lawsuit, Shakib said.

County officials continue to deny any wrongdoing.

“The county did nothing wrong, but we recognize the risk and expense of going to court and therefore agreed to settle the case,” Christopher Pisano, Shasta County attorney, said in an email to Los Angeles Times.

“We’re happy to move on and put this matter behind us.”

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