Teen goat thief runs afoul of armed farmer, VA sheriff says. Cops don’t buy his excuse

A 19-year-old caught trying to steal a farmer’s goats on Valentine’s Day slurred his words and gave fake names when deputies from the local sheriff’s office in Virginia arrived, law enforcement officials said.

Deputies arrested Cole Schrock, of Clear Brook, on larceny and identity theft charges after he said he was pretending to be drunk during the unsuccessful heist, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Wednesday.

“The farmer recounted that his wife had gone outside to check on their goats and discovered that they had been let out of their pen,” the release states. “She also believed there was a man hiding in the field.”

According to the release, the farmer — who is not named — found Schrock in his field and called 911. The teenager’s truck was nearby with three goats tied to it.

Dispatch sent a deputy just before 10 p.m. and advised “that a farmer was holding the suspect at gunpoint in the middle of his field,” the release states.

The farmer reportedly told the responding deputy that Schrock appeared drunk and had tried to steal several of his goats.

Shrock, who eventually gave the deputy his real name, “admitted that he was pretending to be intoxicated, which was confirmed by a preliminary breath test,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The farmer then realized that the suspect had recently purchased a few goats from him and initially did not recognize him because his face was hidden under a hood,” the release states.

Shrock was taken to Rappahannock Regional Jail where he was held without bond, according to the release. He’s been charged with larceny of animals, identity theft to avoid arrest and unlawful entry with intent to commit larceny.