Goats-in-school prank

[moshquerade]

What do you think the punishment should be for these pranksters?

June 17, 2008

EUSTIS - Five recent graduates of Eustis High School were charged Monday with criminal trespassing for planting a pair of pygmy goats inside the school, a senior prank that could net them a year in jail.

But all five, described by police Chief Fred Cobb as "outstanding young men . . . who, this one time, exercised poor judgment," could be eligible for an intervention program that would spare them not only jail but a criminal record, if they make restitution and abide by other rules.

A sixth prankster -- who also graduated May 30 but is not yet 18 years old -- will be referred to juvenile court, Cobb said.

Prosecutors also might demand that all six perform community service -- perhaps shoveling waste at the county animal shelter where the two goats have been penned since a school custodian found them June 5, just before the end of the school year.

Cobb identified the five 18-year-olds as Austin Bakich, Matthew Ballard, Jett Baumann and twins Steven and Samuel Broadway. All live in Eustis. He did not name the 17-year-old.

Efforts to reach Bakich, Baumann and the Broadways were unsuccessful Monday night.

Police say the pranksters bought both goats -- a mother and her kid -- and sneaked them into the high school in the middle of the night.

Cobb said all six, three of whom recently graduated with honors, could have been charged with second-degree felony burglary because they wore masks to carry out the prank, which forced school officials to postpone a final exam because the goats left a mess in a classroom.

He said police consulted with Assistant State Attorney Bill Gladson and Lake County school officials before deciding to charge the teens with criminal trespassing and a lesser charge of disrupting a school function.

Cobb said authorities sought "to hold [the pranksters] accountable but not destroy them."

"You can't simply ignore it," he said. "What if we had responded and made a dynamic entry [to the school] and confronted them? We could have ended up with a tragic incident."

The pranksters left the goats amid a slick of vegetable oil, carrots and cabbage that cost the district $240 to clean up, Cobb said.

Neither animal was injured, though the mother had the number "1" spray-painted on her side and the baby had the number "3" spray-painted on her side. Cobb did not know the significance -- if any -- of the numbers.

The chief said police had not yet concluded their investigation and could seek additional charges against another person -- not a recent Eustis High graduate -- who apparently was aware of the pranksters' plan and who may have assisted them.

The goats will be auctioned soon unless claimed by the teens, said Marjorie Boyd, director of the county's animal-services division.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com...8jun17,0,3543641.story

 

[trmiv]

Neither animal was injured, though the mother had the number "1" spray-painted on her side and the baby had the number "3" spray-painted on her side. Cobb did not know the significance -- if any -- of the numbers.

Ahh, the old "missing numbered goat" trick. Apparently it doesn't get them every time.

 

[Soundmanred]

Cobb did not know the significance -- if any -- of the numbers.

Good thing he's the Police Chief, because he's not a very good detective!
Read the internetz! Google -> goat+prank+1+3
They didn't get what the "1" and the "3" meant?
They're supposed to freak out and look for goat "2".
The joke just doesn't work if they don't "get it" in the first place.

 

[Anubis]

someone did a similar thing with Greesed Pigs when i was in HS, we just thought it was funny, no popo was involved

someone also let loose some roosters one year

 

[bonkers325]

they belong in jail, along with the other dregs of society - murderers, arsonists, druggies, and pranksters.

give me a break, these guys pulled a harmless prank and the authorities are blowing it out of proportion. give them a slap on the wrist and move on

 

[markgm]

The punishment should be nothing. Laugh and move on. What a bunch of idiots we have running this country.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: markgm
The punishment should be nothing. Laugh and move on. What a bunch of idiots we have running this country.

its florida, what do you expect

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: Soundmanred

Cobb did not know the significance -- if any -- of the numbers.

Good thing he's the Police Chief, because he's not a very good detective!
Read the internetz! Google -> goat+prank+1+3
They didn't get what the "1" and the "3" meant?
They're supposed to freak out and look for goat "2".
The joke just doesn't work if they don't "get it" in the first place.

the officers are just 'better then that'

 

[Soundmanred]

More to the story!!
A cop was involved!

I'm assuming this guy from Moshes original article -

he chief said police had not yet concluded their investigation and could seek additional charges against another person -- not a recent Eustis High graduate -- who apparently was aware of the pranksters' plan and who may have assisted them.

The investigation into a senior prank at Eustis High School has snared a former Howey-in-the-Hills police officer, who resigned after learning that he'd been implicated in the incident.

Robert Rasnake, 30, was arrested Tuesday and charged with burglary, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and the illegal use of a two-way device. He was released after being booked into the Lake County Jail.

"I'm surprised and disappointed, and he exercised really poor judgment," Eustis police Chief Fred Cobb said. "Police officers should be held to a higher standard."

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: Soundmanred

Cobb did not know the significance -- if any -- of the numbers.

Good thing he's the Police Chief, because he's not a very good detective!
Read the internetz! Google -> goat+prank+1+3
They didn't get what the "1" and the "3" meant?
They're supposed to freak out and look for goat "2".
The joke just doesn't work if they don't "get it" in the first place.

love your theory, but i was thinking...

1 + 3

put them together and you have lucky number 13.

 

[markgm]

Who the fuck comes up with these laws? "and the illegal use of a two-way device"

 

[Soundmanred]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: Soundmanred

Cobb did not know the significance -- if any -- of the numbers.

Good thing he's the Police Chief, because he's not a very good detective!
Read the internetz! Google -> goat+prank+1+3
They didn't get what the "1" and the "3" meant?
They're supposed to freak out and look for goat "2".
The joke just doesn't work if they don't "get it" in the first place.

love your theory, but i was thinking...

1 + 3

put them together and you have lucky number 13.

People have been doing this prank for years, using the same 1 & 3 "trick". These guys are copycat pranksters a million times over.
Kids these days and their lack of originality...

 

[Soundmanred]

Originally posted by: markgm
Who the fuck comes up with these laws? "and the illegal use of a two-way device"

Any time you use anything in a "crime" such as this it automatically called "illegal use of ****".
I'm surprised he didn't get charged with "illegal use of a bunch of dumb minors and 2 (and possibly 3!) goats".
Sad.

 

[FDF12389]

Way to blow something out of proportion.

 

[K1052]

Felony charges for a harmless HS prank that's as old as Moses?

The "justice system" is really getting carried away with itself now.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: bonkers325
they belong in jail, along with the other dregs of society - murderers, arsonists, druggies, and pranksters.

give me a break, these guys pulled a harmless prank and the authorities are blowing it out of proportion. give them a slap on the wrist and move on

But all five, described by police Chief Fred Cobb as "outstanding young men . . . who, this one time, exercised poor judgment," could be eligible for an intervention program that would spare them not only jail but a criminal record, if they make restitution and abide by other rules.

Yeah, that's harsh.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: Soundmanred

Cobb did not know the significance -- if any -- of the numbers.

Good thing he's the Police Chief, because he's not a very good detective!
Read the internetz! Google -> goat+prank+1+3
They didn't get what the "1" and the "3" meant?
They're supposed to freak out and look for goat "2".
The joke just doesn't work if they don't "get it" in the first place.

love your theory, but i was thinking...

1 + 3

put them together and you have lucky number 13.

i live in a relatively tame little town and hadnt heard of the prank until reading fark a few weeks ago, and i came in this thread to see if they did the trick of misnumbering the goats.

 

[imported_nightfox]

Last year the seniors at my school did something similar. They got a cow up to a 4th floor as their senior prank.

 

[DrPizza]

I'm a teacher with a good sense of humor (some of the time) and my principal has a decent sense of humor. I've told students that if they want to pull a practical joke, feel free to run the idea past me, and if I think it's a viable joke, I'll refer them to the principal who can give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. In this day and age, too many people underestimate the reaction of authorities who are charged with maintaining safety in the school environment. What kids might think is harmless can actually have a lot of repercussions, especially if something goes wrong.

I tell students to consider these before they even think about putting their plan into action:
1. Any laws broken? (particularly trespassing)
2. Any chance that anyone or anything could be harmed or damaged?
3. Is it going to create a burden for anyone (is someone going to have to do a lengthy clean-up, or particularly gross clean-up?
4. Is it "mean" to someone? Is it going to make them look bad or (justifiably) feel bad?
5. Is it original? There are NO original practical jokes that are funny anymore that take only a couple minutes to pull off. They've all already been done hundreds of times. Numbering chickens 1,2,4 and releasing them in the school?" Funny on paper, but you're not going to fool anyone into believing there's a chicken #3 somewhere.

Ironically, a week ago, someone attempted the chicken joke. My first question, "what color were the chickens?" - I thought for a moment that my son & his girlfriend might have tried that one despite being told quite firmly by me: "Not funny - you'll just get in trouble."

 

[HardcoreRobot]

token community service

 

[wwswimming]

Originally posted by: moshquerade
What do you think the punishment should be for these pranksters?

The pranksters left the goats amid a slick of vegetable oil, carrots and cabbage that cost the district $240 to clean up, Cobb said.

Christ, they even FED the goats. it's not like the fed the goats something cruel like Chocolate or something.

for punishment,
* explain the joke
* community service. i would say "community service at a goat farm", but that would probably just give them more ideas.

 

[nakedfrog]

Obviously these domestic terrorists should be sent to Guantanamo Bay so we can find out which sleeper cell they're part of.

 

[Vonkhan]

It'll be funny when those kids are in gitmo with matching orange jump suits numbered 1,2,4

wait ... where's domestic goat terrorist #3 ???!!!