A California county and local fair have been sued by a woman after selling her daughter’s pet goat for $902, butchered and roasted despite the family’s desire to withdraw their auction entry.
Jessica Long’s family purchased Cedar goat, a seven-month-old white Boer, in April 2022 and the animal quickly formed a bond with her nine-year-old daughter – whom she fed and cared for every day.
However, the family decided to enter Cedar in the young cattle auction at Shasta District Fair on June 24, 2022 – where the animals are sold for use as meat.
But long before the auction started, the Long family changed their mind and wanted Cedar off the ticket. The fair refused the order and sold it – so the mother brazenly stole the goat before giving it to the buyer.
What followed was a wild goat hunt—officers sent hundreds of miles across the county to retrieve the goat via a search warrant, before handing it over to individuals believed to have killed and roasted cedar at a barbecue for their guests.
Cedar pictured with his owner, nine-year-old daughter Jessica Long
Rice, described as a cuddly white goat with pretty chocolate-colored markings, was sold at the Shasta District Fair for $902 to Sen. Representative Brian Dahley.
The federal civil rights lawsuit filed by the Long family, which he sees Sacramento P.I, is now seeking actual, general and punitive damages. He wants to inculcate “freedom of expression or a girl’s point of view regarding livestock in future livestock activities.”
Rice, described as a cuddly white goat with pretty chocolate-colored markings, was sold at the Shasta District Fair for $902 to Sen. Representative Brian Dahley.
The mother, after seeing her daughter crying from the goat pen at the fair, decides to steal the animal at the last minute and “deal with the consequences later”.
In an email to Shasta District Fair on June 27, Long wrote, “It was heartbreaking. The barn was mostly empty and at the last minute I decided to break the rules and take the goats that night and deal with the consequences later.
I knew when I took it on that my next step was to make it right with Jupiter and Fairgrounds. I will pay you for the goats and any other expenses you have caused. I would like to ask for your support in finding a solution.
Shasta Gallery CEO Melanie Silva responded to her email and demanded that the goats be returned immediately.
Rice, described as a cuddly white goat with pretty chocolate-colored markings, was sold at the Shasta District Fair for $902 to Sen. Representative Brian Dahley.
She wrote: “Making an exception for you will only teach the young men that they do not have to abide by the rules laid out for all participants. Unfortunately, this is out of my hands. You will need to return the goats to the Shasta District Fair immediately.”
Soon after, the barbecue organizer called her lawyer about the animal theft — and the show’s livestock director, PJ McFarlane, sent her a long text warning that law enforcement would be applied if the goats weren’t returned.
According to the lawsuit, MacFarlane threatened to charge her with a felony count of grand theft if she did not return Cedar.
Two weeks after Long’s goat was stolen, Shasta Detective Jeremy Ashby filed an affidavit with a search warrant—trying to obtain permission to seize the stolen animal.
Cedar is believed to have been slaughtered and eaten at the community barbecue, but details are scant
Cedar is believed to have been slaughtered and eaten at the community barbecue, but details are scarce
The girl’s mother, after seeing her daughter crying from the goat pen at the fair, decides to steal the animal at the last minute and ‘deal with the consequences later’.
Jessica Long’s family bought Cedar goat, a seven-month-old white Boer, in April 2022 and the animal quickly formed a bond with her nine-year-old daughter – whom she fed and cared for every day
Judge Monique Mackie signed one on July 8, allowing officers to “use penetration equipment to force entrance(s), entry doors, exit doors, and locked containers in pursuit of their objective.”
Cops then raided the Bleating Hearts Farm and Sanctuary in Napa — but the goat wasn’t hiding there.
Instead, the Cedar was kept at an unnamed Sonoma County farm that Long emailed in a desperate attempt to save the animal from slaughter.
Vanessa Shakib is Jessica Long’s attorney
Two officers then rushed to the other ranch, even though there was no search warrant for that location, nor a warrant to seize the cedar from there, according to the lawsuit.
They took the goats—and drove them more than 200 miles before handing them over to an unnamed person on the show to “slaughter/destroy”—despite the fact that the warrant required them to hold the goats for a court hearing to determine its rightful owner, the suit alleged.
Cedar is believed to have been slaughtered and eaten at the community barbecue, but details are scant.
Jessica Long’s solicitor, Vanessa Shakib, said: “At the moment we don’t have that specific information and can only speculate. While this has not been confirmed as factual, we believe the Cedar goat has been killed.
“Looking at this case, what we see is that county officials and equitable officials improperly used their power and connections to turn a purely civil dispute into a bogus criminal matter.”
