DOCUMENT: Crime

Teen Goat Thieves Busted For Prom Prank

Quartet of Georgians nabbed for abduction

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Teen Goat Thieves

MARCH 11--A quartet of teenage boys was arrested Saturday night for stealing a goat that one of the alleged thieves planned to use when he asked a girl to the prom, according to Georgia police.

The teens were collared for livestock theft after a homeowner called 911 to report suspicious activity outside his residence in Milton, a city about 40 miles north of Atlanta. The witness told police that he spotted four men outside his property, as well as two unknown vehicles parked on the side of the road.

The suspects scattered when confronted by the man, who told police that “the males looked like thay had something large in their hands that they were loading into one of the trucks.”

In short order, cops stopped a vehicle matching the description of the getaway truck. “A goat was found to be inside the vehicle,” noted investigators, who subsequently determined that the animal belonged to the witness’s neighbor.

One of the underage rustlers, Jacob Michels, explained to police his unique reason for the theft. The 17-year-old swiped the animal, cops reported, “because he thought he would ask a girl to the prom by saying, ‘Would you goat with me to prom?’

Michels, pictured above, apparently planned to photograph the goat and use the image as part of his prom invitation (as opposed to presenting the animal to his intended date).

Despite that charming explanation, Michels and two of his 17-year-old cohorts were handcuffed and charged with livestock theft, a misdemeanor. The fourth teen, a 16-year-old boy, is facing juvenile charges .

The two-year-old goat, named Chip, was returned to its owner, whose daughter keeps the animal as a pet. Chip, seen above in his pen, was not harmed during the abduction. (2 pages)