California deputies use tax dollars to travel 500 miles, cross 6 counties to kill pet goat: Lawsuit

SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. – A mom of a 9-year-old is suing the Shasta District Truthful and Occasion Middle (Shasta Truthful Affiliation), the County of Shasta, and the Shasta County Sheriff’s Division after allegedly seizing a pet goat named Cedar and slaughtering it, in response to a lawsuit.

In a lawsuit first filed in August 2022, mom Jessica Lengthy stated Shasta Truthful Affiliation honest officers used “strong-arm” ways to forcibly seize a pet belonging to her daughter, known as “E.L.” utilizing regulation enforcement. 

Lengthy and her legal professionals, Ryan R. Gordan and Vanessa T. Shakib with Advancing Legislation for Animals and Daniel J. Kolde, acknowledged Lt. Jerry Fernandez, Det. Jacob Duncan, Det. Jeremy Ashbee, and 10 different unnamed deputies violated the Lengthy household’s Fourth and 14th amendments of their actions of taking, slaughtering, then barbequing E.L.’s goat from the Sonoma Farm in Sonoma County final July.

It began when E.L., as a member of the native 4-H youth group, participated in a junior livestock public sale on June 24, 2022, on the annual Shasta District Truthful, the lawsuit stated. Earlier than the bidding passed off, the Longs allegedly tried to withdraw their participation within the public sale however had been denied by honest officers, saying it wasn’t allowed.

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Legal professionals for the Longs stated no such guidelines which can be “legally enforceable” existed. 

In keeping with the lawsuit, the possession of Cedar is to the Lengthy household, as they first bought the goat. Of their lawsuit, they stated the Shasta Truthful Affiliation that anybody “exhibiting” the animals have to be the authorized house owners and that their entry kind for the public sale “conceded” E.L. as Cedar’s authorized proprietor.

The legal professionals reported that the honest had no possession of the goat due to E.L.’s and Cedar’s attendance and that at most they had been solely entitled to a specific amount after Cedar was bought, in response to the affiliation’s guidelines.

Cedar’s “meat cuts,” and never Cedar itself, had been bought to State Sen. Brian Dahle for $902.00. Dahle later instructed Lengthy that he didn’t object to saving Cedar from slaughter and “successfully waived his rights to Cedar,” after she reached out to his workplace, in response to the lawsuit.

“It’s noteworthy that Cedar’s profitable bidder was not entitled to, and didn’t buy, Cedar…there was nothing concerning the cuts of meat obtained from Cedar’s slaughter that had been distinctive or particular property for authorized functions as to any bidder,” stated the lawsuit.

Nevertheless, this didn’t deter honest officers who then reached out to the native sheriff’s division to have Cedar forcibly returned, Lengthy’s legal professionals stated.

Lengthy alleged she tried to settle with the honest officers, writing a letter and providing to pay for any losses and/or damages that will come up in sparing the lifetime of Cedar.

“My daughter sobbed in her pen together with her goat…The barn was largely empty and on the final minute I made a decision to interrupt the principles and take the goat that evening and cope with the implications later,” Lengthy instructed the Los Angeles Instances.

“Heartbreaking …. Our daughter misplaced three grandparents inside the final 12 months and our household has had a lot heartbreak and disappointment that I couldn’t bear the considered the next weeks of disappointment after the slaughter [of Cedar] …,” stated Lengthy in response to the lawsuit.

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After making such a suggestion, Lengthy then took Cedar 200 miles away to the Sonoma Farm in Sonoma County to keep away from “[upsetting] different 4-H members and group members” by having the goat of their possession.

Shasta County deputies would later first journey to Bleating Hearts Farm, an animal sanctuary in Napa County after mistakenly believing Cedar was there, then to the Sonoma Farm to take away Cedar with none authorized proper, touring over 500 miles at “taxpayer expense” and crossing six county traces, the lawsuit stated.

In her makes an attempt to avoid wasting Cedar, Lengthy stated she was threatened by honest officers on being charged with a felony.

KTVU has reached out to Lengthy’s legal professionals, Bleating Hearts Farm, the County of Shasta, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Division, and the Shasta Truthful Affiliation. 

“Truthful officers and sheriffs abused their energy to show this little woman a lesson. She bonded with Cedar like we bond with our canine. And as his proprietor and a minor, she had the appropriate below California regulation to reject the cash and save his life. So to open a sham felony grand theft investigation, then drive 500 miles at taxpayer expense, is appalling. The fact is, if anybody right here stole a goat, it was the sheriffs and the Shasta Truthful,” stated Gordon.

Gordon moreover stated to the L.A. Instances, “It’s stunning…it’s somewhat woman’s goat, not Pablo Escobar.”

Not one of the remaining events concerned have reached again to KTVU; although a lawyer for the County instructed the L.A. Instances that because it’s an “lively litigation,” they nor county officers cannot present remark.

The sheriff’s division instructed the New York Put up that “Sadly, on account of pending litigation we’re unable to remark.” 

It is unclear if the identical counsel is representing each the County and the Sheriff’s Division.

Shasta County, The Shasta County Sheriff’s Workplace, and the three deputies did present their “operative reply” relating to the lawsuit to Gordon and Shakib.

Of their reply, they did say that whereas they did “retrieve” a goat named Cedar, all different allegations made in opposition to them by Lengthy and her advocates both don’t require a response or deny “each allegation” within the elements requiring a response on whether or not or not they illegally seized Cedar or violated E.L’s rights granted Fourth and 14th amendments or another accusation talked about.

The one data they did affirm with the unique lawsuit are the events concerned on the plaintiff’s aspect and that the Shasta County Court docket has jurisdiction. 

A petition has since been created for justice for the Lengthy household which could be accessed right here.