Teens Steal Goat To Pop Pun-Filled Prom Question, Get Arrested For Theft

Four Georgia teens thought it would be fun to steal a goat and use it as a humorous way to ask someone to the prom. But the goat’s owner is not laughing about the situation, and he has now filed charges against the teens for theft.

According to Fox 5 Atlanta, the four teens are being charged as adults for stealing a 2-year-old goat named Chip. One of them had intended to use the goat as a prop to ask the question: “Would you goat with me to prom?”

Milton Police Captain Shawn McCarthy said that the teens might have been looking to have some fun with the goat, but theft is not a joke.

“For a lot of people, it may sound kind of silly that it’s a goat. But to this family, it’s their pet, so I [would] equate it to somebody stealing your dog or your cat or something like that. And it’s definitely something that was very important to them.”

The teens have been identified as Brendan Lawler, Jacob Michels, Walker Boston, and a 16-year-old male juvenile. Michels was identified by the New York Daily News as the one who wanted to ask the question to his girlfriend. Three of them are being tried as adults, and all four are charged with theft of livestock.

One unidentified man said he lives in the area, and he heard the teens making noise outside late Saturday night. He went to see what was happening, and that’s when he noticed them loading something into their truck. He then told the teens that he had a shotgun, and they fled the scene. One of the teens dropped his wallet, and that’s when the neighbor notified the authorities.

McCarthy said that shortly after the neighbor called, the teens and the goat were found.

“[Officers] located the car while they were out on patrol [and] stopped it. There were four young adults in the car and [they] were able to locate the goat that had been stolen.”

The 16-year-old juvenile told police he is the ex-boyfriend of the homeowner’s niece, and he knew the person owned a goat. The teens later revealed their plan to use the goat for a picture that was going to serve as the prom invitation.

McCarthy noted that the teens most likely didn’t have any intentions to harm the goat, but they shouldn’t have stolen it for the prank.

“Some pranks are harmless, but when you are talking about theft or damage to property that is when things kind of step over the line from being harmless pranks into being a crime.”

The homeowner later told Fox 5 Atlanta that he would have been OK with letting the teens use the goat for the picture. All they had to do was ask him.

[Image via Fox 5 Atlanta]