California Girl, 11, Secures $300K Settlement After Police Seize, Slaughter Beloved Pet Goat

An 11-year-old California girl has been awarded a $300,000 settlement after police seized and slaughtered her pet goat, Cedar, despite her mother’s pleas to spare the animal.

The settlement, reached on Nov. 1, was made with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office and several officers, as reported by Courthouse News Service.

Jessica Long, the girl’s mother, filed a lawsuit against the department in 2023, following an incident in 2022 when officers traveled over 500 miles to seize the goat. Cedar was taken to meet the auction rules of the Shasta District Fair, though the fair’s guidelines lacked legal binding, according to the lawsuit.

The young girl had raised Cedar since April 2022 for a livestock program, with plans to auction him at the fair. However, when the time came, she grew attached and couldn’t bear the thought of him being sold for meat. Despite her emotional attachment and her mother’s offer to cover the auction commission, the fair refused to release Cedar after he had been sold to California State Senator Brian Dahle for $902. Although Dahle agreed to cancel the sale, the fair held its ground, leading Long to hide Cedar on a Sonoma County farm temporarily.

Soon after, Shasta County deputies obtained a warrant, yet mistakenly went to the wrong farm initially. Ultimately, they seized Cedar without a valid warrant, and according to the lawsuit, the goat was then slaughtered, with his meat allegedly used in a community barbecue.

Though the recent settlement brings some resolution, Long says her daughter remains heartbroken. “The young girl who raised Cedar lost him, and Cedar lost his life. Now plaintiffs can never get him back,” the lawsuit states. The settlement funds will be placed in a trust for the girl, while litigation involving the Shasta District Fair and associated youth program continues.

Representatives from the fair and Shasta County Sheriff’s Office have not yet responded to requests for comment.