Farmer Holds Suspected Goat Thief At Gunpoint Until Police Arrive

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — A Stafford County farmer held a man he suspected of trying to steal his goats at gunpoint in the middle of a field last Friday until a sheriff's deputy arrived, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office. After the deputy arrived at the farm in the 700 block of Leeland Road, he eventually took the man into custody and charged him with larceny of animals, identity theft to avoid arrest, and unlawful entry with intent to commit larceny.

The Stafford sheriff's deputy, who had been warned by the 911 call center about the farmer with the gun, got to the farm just before 10 p.m. on Valentine's Day. The farmer, who was still holding the suspect at gunpoint, said the man was intoxicated and attempting to steal several goats.

The suspect was slurring his words and initially provided false identification to the deputy, according to the sheriff's office. The deputy was able to determine the man's name was Cole Schrock, 19, of Clear Brook, a community about five miles northeast of Winchester. But Schrock later admitted he was pretending to be drunk, which was confirmed by a preliminary breath test, the sheriff's office said.

At that point, the farmer realized Schrock had recently purchased a few goats from him. He initially did not recognize him because his face was hidden under a hood, the sheriff's office said.

The deputy found Shrock's pickup truck nearby with three goats tied up next to it, the sheriff's office said. The farmer told the deputy that his wife had gone outside to check on their goats and discovered they had been let out of their pen. She also told her husband there was a man hiding in the field.

Schrock is being held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.