Man arrested for allegedly stealing two bicycles and a goat

A bicycle theft investigation led detectives in Portland, Oregon, to a man who not only stole bikes, but also a family's goat, according to police. Penelope the goat was typically tethered and secured in the front yard of a home. On the morning of Aug. 4, 2014, Penelope's owners noticed their goat was gone. The Nigerian dwarf goat was like a pet to the family.

They originally brought her in to clean up the property, but she wasn't interested. They decided to keep her anyway. "Her personality, the way she would warm up to people and everything like that makes her much like a guard dog in a lot of ways," Andrew Huckaby said last August. Huckaby said he hoped the goat theft was a prank. It turns out, someone tried to profit from Penelope.



Police said Penelope was taken by 18-year-old Oleg Stepanovich Plyushchev. Police first contacted Plyushchev as part of a bicycle theft case. A man reported to police that he found his stolen bicycle for sale on Craigslist. Detectives contacted the seller and arranged to buy the bike, along with a second bike. Police said the second bike was stolen, as well, after checking the serial number with police records.

After his arrest on Tuesday, detectives said they learned Plyushchev also took the goat. Investigators said Plyushchev put Penelope on consignment at a farm supply business in Boring. Penelope was located by officers, who said she was unharmed, and returned to her owners. Plyushchev was booked into the Multnomah County Jail on charges of first-degree theft and computer crime.

With news video.