An Alabama man will serve 30 days in county jail after a neighbor accused his goats of eating their pumpkins. The problem: his goats don't like pumpkins, according to his wife.
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Alabama Man Serves Time After His Goats Go Rogue, Eat Neighbor's Pumpkins
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Not Very Nice Neighbors
Crystal Garner claimed to the local news that she had previously tried to feed her goats pumpkins -- but to no avail. The goats turned down the treat. But apparently, her neighbors in Ragland, Alabama have accused her and her partner Alexander Tollison of letting Tollison's goats roam free and eat the neighbors' flowers and pumpkins. Now, Tollison has been sentenced to 30 days in county jail.
Tollison Supposedly Violated His Probation
Tollison’s sentence had been suspended at first, according to the court's records, and Tollison was subsequently placed on probation. Soon, however, Tollison was sent back to custody for violating the conditions of the probation.
“After an ore tenus hearing,” District Court Judge Alan Furr wrote at the time, “the Court finds that the Defendant has violated his probation by allowing goats to roam at large.”
Tollison Had Been Cooperative At First
Garner and Tollison had no problem paying for their goats' alleged damage, even though they believed the goats were not responsible for the spoiled crops and pumpkins. However, Tollison was still found guilty in a bench trial of allowing 20 goats to "roam at large." At the time, Tollison was told he could avoid jail if he kept his goats on his property.
At that time, it seemed to Garner and Tollison that the whole fiasco was over. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
The Neighbors Suddenly Found New Evidence
After the initial "roam at large" charge, Garner and Tollison woke up to a new complaint from their friendly neighbors.
“Then, the day after we got out of court, the neighbor turns around and swears out another warrant,” Garner said.
Garner also said that she no longer believes any of her goats invaded the neighbors’ property after the first incident in which the goats roamed.
“There’s no pictures proving it,” she said. “There’s no nothing. It’s her word against ours.”
Garner claimed that her neighbors also never showed her or Tollison any of the supposed damage that had been caused by their goats, which Garner said are now held securely inside a fence.
“They supposedly ate a flower and pumpkins,” Garner said. “I know for a fact my goats won’t eat pumpkins because I’ve tried to give them to ’em. Now flowers, I don’t know, but they can’t prove it.”
Maybe we should all just be glad we don't have neighbors who would send us to jail!
