Teen Cheerleader Charged with Poisoning Classmate’s Goat

A cheerleader in Texas is facing charges of animal cruelty after allegedly poisoning a classmate’s goat.

Aubrey Vanlandingham, 17, is accused of killing a classmate’s show goat with pesticide at Vista Ridge High School in Cedar Park, Texas.

“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 a goat using a drench gun, police said,” according to CBS Austin. “The goat, named Willie, died approximately 21 hours later after experiencing symptoms including convulsions and respiratory distress.”

A police affidavit states that Vanlandingham confessed to police that she did the poisoning because she believed that the animal’s owner was a “cheater.” Police claim that the cheerleader admitted to attempting to poison the animal on a previous occasion.

“A necropsy performed by a caprine pathologist confirmed the cause of death as organophosphate intoxication from phosmet, a pesticide commonly used for external parasite control in livestock,” CBS Austin reports.

Authorities revealed that Vanlandingham’s phone contained searches for how to poison animals and then a search for “how to clear search history.”

Vanlandingham was placed under arrest on November 22 and charged with cruelty to livestock animals, a felony charge in the state of Texas. The teenager was released on a $5,000 bond on the same day of her arrest.