Warrant ordered for man charged in Brett Favre goat case

A warrant will be issued for a 24-year-old man who failed to appear in court Monday on charges related to an incident this summer involving a goat police found dyed purple and gold in the trunk of a car.

Sonny Yang, 24, is charged with cruelty in transportation of an animal for the alleged incident. Winona County court officials said a warrant was ordered after Yang failed to appear.

According to authorities, Yang and Janelle D. Riopel took their vehicle to a Winona car repair shop on their way to the Twin Cities. Mechanics found the goat, which had the No. 4 shaved in its side, the same number as Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre.

The goat's feet were bound and being shut in the trunk would have made it difficult for the animal to breathe, authorities said.

Riopel pleaded guilty earlier this month and was sentenced to one year unsupervised probation and had to pay $280 in fines in surcharges.

Riopel told authorities they planned to butcher the goat for meat and that the goat was already dyed and shaved when they picked it up at a Wisconsin farm.

The goat was seized by animal control officers, and was later adopted by a Wisconsin couple.

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