Stolen goats return home to Santa Rosa family: Sonoma Sheriff

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Three goats stolen from a Santa Rosa home earlier this month have returned home to their family, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department said on Monday. 

The goats were taken from a home on Sept. 17 along the 600 block of Bellevue Avenue. Surveillance video showed a woman allegedly stealing the three animals. 

According to the sheriff’s department, a man told authorities he believed his family had two of the stolen goats. He told the sheriff that his family had recently purchased the animals and later suspected they were the stolen goats detectives were searching for.

When detectives visited the family’s home, they identified the goats as Nacho and Atlas. 

Three goats allegedly stolen from a Santa Rosa home on Sept.17, 2024 have returned home, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department said on Monday.

The sheriff says the family purchased the goats from Agustin Alcazar-Varelas, a 48-year-old from Santa Rosa. Detectives later located the third missing goat, Chili, and he was returned home. 
Alcazar-Varelas was arrested on charges of felony grand theft of animals, misdemeanor drug possession, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, and violation of probation. He was later released with a citation, authorities said. 

As for the woman captured on surveillance video, the Sonoma Sheriff’s Department says they are still following up on leads. 

"We’d like to express our sincerest gratitude to the community members who called us to report they had the goats and cooperated with our detectives," the sheriff’s department said in a statement.