Aubrey Vanlandingham, Cedear Park, Texas teen and animal show competitor charged with poisoning her classmate rival’s show goat as girl now faces felony child abuse charges and jail time.
The ultimate mean girl…? A Texas high school cheerleader and animal show competitor is alleged to have poisoned her classmate rival’s show goat last month.
Aubrey Vanlandingham, 17, a senior at Vista Ridge High in Cedar Park was arrested Nov. 22 following an investigation into the death of a show goat belonging to another family and charged with felony animal cruelty the Austin American-Statesman reported.
Vanlandingham was released the same day after making $5K bond.
At what cost winning?
The incident occurred on October 23 at the school’s barn facility in Cedar Park, where security footage showed a female student administering a toxic pesticide to the six month old goat using a drench gun, police said. The goat, named Willie, died approximately 21 hours later after experiencing symptoms including convulsions and respiratory distress, CBS Austin reported last month.
Vanlandingham initially denied poisoning the animal before being confronted with surveillance tape, where she relented and confessed to deliberately poisoning the goat by force-feeding it pesticide. Surveillance video showed her leaving the barn only to return twice more that day and take pictures and a video of the goat, according to an arrest affidavit.
The affidavit stated the goat ‘bellowing in pain,’ and dying in the owner’s daughter’s arms a short time later. The daughter was described as Vanlandingham’s classmate.
During police questioning, the teen said she ‘doesn’t like cheaters,’ referring to the family who owned the goat, Vanlandingham’s competitors in a local Future Farmers of America (FFA) livestock show.
Incriminating Google Search; ‘how much bleach kills a goat’,
The teen also admitting to beginning the poison campaign against the show goat three days earlier.
Tests results on the contents of the goat’s stomach showed Nov. 6 that the animal had been poisoned by a pesticide called phosmet, police said. Phosmet is a common agricultural pesticide used both on plants and animals, the affidavit said.
The FFA is a national educational organization that allows students to compete in livestock shows across the state with animals the students have raised. Competitors have opportunities to earn scholarships worth thousands of dollars along with the chance to receive cash prizes, ranging from anywhere from $50 for local events and up $30K for larger state fairs.
The Texas Future Farmers of America Association issued a statement that said its members ‘are encouraged to demonstrate ethical behavior in all activities, from competitions to community service.’ Texas FFA, according to the statement, ‘does not condone any behavior that compromises ethical standards, animal welfare, or the integrity of its program.’
Prosecutors argue the teen’s desire to win got too much for her, and that she turned to ‘evil ways’ to ensure victory – by poisoning a fellow student’s goat, the dailymail reported.
Googled search history at the hands of the teen included, ‘how much bleach kills a goat’, ‘if goats inject bleach do they die’ and ‘poisoning pets, what you should know’.
If convicted, Vanlandingham could be punished by up to two years in jail along with a and a $10,000 fine.
She has yet to enter a plea. Vanlandingham is slated to appear in court on January 15.
Vanlandingham has been banned from attending Vista Ridge High School while the case is ongoing.
