Regina Zilbermints

rzilbermin@dmreg.com

Police in Des Moines have chased down runaway goats before. But the goats' escapes aren't usually aided by people.

Luckily, it turns out it's not very difficult for police to spot a man and a goat hiding behind a car in Des Moines.

But that didn't stop Lonny Kirschbaum or William, the goat, from making a final bid for the goat's freedom, officials said.

The attempt began around 4 p.m. Thursday when a Des Moines animal control officer went to the 800 block of Loomis on reports of a goat running loose.

By the time she arrived there was no goat visible on the street, reports show. But she did spot one in a nearby yard.

The officer was familiar with William, she said. Kirschbaum had been warned several times it was illegal to keep the goat within city limits and had been cited once, police reports show.

The officer told Kirschbaum she would take William but Kirschbaum refused to turn the goat over and instead began leading him into the house, officials said.

The animal control officer called for police backup. She was standing by her truck when she heard responding police officers on the radio, reports show. They could see someone trying to run with a goat and trying to hide, authorities said.

When the animal control officer caught up, she saw Kirschbaum and William hiding behind a car, police said. She put the goat in the back seat of her truck to write Kirschbaum a citation.

And William – perhaps in an act of defiance, hunger or boredom – proceeded to eat some of the animal control officer's paperwork.

Kirschbaum was cited, and William was taken by animal control. The animal control sergeant was going to meet with Kirschbaum to determine how to get his goat back.