Hudson Valley Teens Charged With Goose Torture

According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, two Highland teenagers are accused of torturing and killing a wild goose.

Michael Sebastian Vargas and Jarett Gonzalez were charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty on Saturday. The teens are accused of stoning the goose with rocks, then beating it with a wooden plank, stepping on it and cutting its head off, according to the Journal.

The teens, who are both not living with their parents, told Police that they didn’t want to be cruel to the goose, all they wanted to do was get something to eat.

After spending the day fishing in Highland with minimal luck one of the teens, Michael Vargas told the the Journal that, “trying to find a place to sleep somewhere in the woods, we saw a flock of geese,” We were going to try to kill it and cook it for food.” Vargas grabbed a rock and threw it at the goose, which “stunned it,” he said, and Gonzalez threw a stick at it, but missed.

At that point, the other teen stood on the goose to hold it down, and Vargas cut its head off with a pocket knife.

The teens were released on appearance tickets and are due in the Town of Lloyd Court Aug. 6.