North Carolina Goat On 'House Arrest' After Thwarted Break-In

GREENVILLE, NC — One goat's shot at a life of crime came to a bleating halt when officers caught him trying to break into someone's home Monday.

As a result, the goat — identified only as "Billy" by the Greenville Police Department's Animal Protective Services — has been relegated to house arrest for his alleged role in a heist that was sure to be the talk of the barnyard for years to come.

But let's talk seriously now.

Greenville Animal Protective Services was sent to a home Monday after police received a call about a possible case of breaking and entering. When officers arrived, they found Billy hanging out around the house's windows.

Billy was immediately "arrested," the department said in a Facebook post, so he would no longer pose a threat to the community.

Luckily, Billy's owner claimed him and has since promised to keep him off the streets, officials said.

Billy's arrest marked the second odd apprehension made by the department in recent weeks.

On March 9, police issued a “pig alert” at East Carolina University after a hog was seen running around campus, according to the Raleigh News-Observer. Officers managed to catch the pig and later posted a photo of an officer walking it on a leash.

“What’s next? An overturned donut truck?” the department posted, making a foreboding yet comically ironic prediction.

Meanwhile, it's probably good that officers caught Billy when they did. In 2019, a goat named Big Boy broke down a door at an Ohio farm and was caught taking a nap in the bathroom.

Jennifer Keathley said that her then 18-year-old son, Logan, came home that day to find their dog in the driveway, broken glass on the back porch, and the house smelling terrible, according to the Associated Press.

"This is the most random story in the world," Jennifer Keathley said.