After repeated warnings, goat owner headed to court

NEW YORK -- Local resident Manuel "Manny" Barba has to go to court Monday because one of his 10 goats broke free and ate a neighbor's plants.

Charged with a violation-level offense of "trespassing stock," Barba must appear in the Portsmouth Circuit Court to answer to the alleged crime perpetrated by his feisty Nubian goat named Billy.

According to a citation issued at 1:45 p.m. June 21 by Rye police Sgt. Scott Blaisdell, Barba did "negligently permit the goat" to enter his neighbor's property, "an improved land," without the neighbor's permission "and thereby damaging plants by allowing the goat to eat them."

Barba said Friday that he doesn't condone Billy's behavior and his family "is trying to be conscientious of our neighbors." But, he explained, the bearded 3-year-old goat likes climbing on rocks and was doing just that the day Billy visited the neighbor's yard.

Billy snuck through a paddock fence, climbed onto the neighbor's stone wall and started munching on some of the neighbor's plants, he said. The next thing Barba knew, there was a police officer at his door telling him he would be cited, he said.

"One neighbor says, 'Let them come over and eat the weeds,'" Barba said. "It depends on the neighbor. To the goats, it's just food."

Rye Police Chief Kevin Walsh said his department, and the town's animal control officer, have spent "hours upon hours, upon hours," responding to calls about animals getting loose from the Barba property, as well as consulting with the family about how to contain and care for their animals.

"We've been overly patient to the point where the neighbors are upset with the police for not taking any action," Walsh said. "It gets to a point where you're faced with no choice but to give them a ticket."

The Barbas got Billy as a baby and bottle-fed him, Barba said. Now, he's the father, with a Nubian goat named Annabelle, of two goat kids, Oreo and Cookie Dough.

"Maybe they'll make Billy do some community service," Barba said. "He can chew down some weeds."

The Barbas live on Rye farm property and the family is made up of the 10 goats, plus countless free-range chickens and roosters, a cat, a dog and six children.

The animals are pets, Barba said, but the family also milks Annabelle, eats and shares the chickens' eggs, and eats some of the chickens themselves. They also give eggs to the Rye schools, where they are hatched for young students to observe, then the chicks are given back, he said.

According to police, Barba broke state law RSA:3, which states the following: "If any person having the charge or custody of any sheep, goats, cattle, horses, or swine shall knowingly, recklessly, or negligently suffer or permit the same to enter upon, pass over, or remain upon any improved or enclosed land of another without written permission of the owner, occupant, or his agent, and thereby injures his crops, or property, he shall be guilty of a violation."

The charge is punishable with a fine and Barba said he will take full responsibility.

"I'll go to court Monday and say, 'Yes, he broke out,'" he said.

"But I fixed the fence and they don't break out anymore. It's under control now."

(Sea Coast Online - Aug 24 2013)