A Berks County goat farmer faces felony animal cruelty charges after performing a crude C-section on a pregnant goat on his barn floor without anesthesia, causing the torturous death of the mother.
Justin Steinmetz, who has no veterinary training, recorded the procedure on video that was posted on his private YouTube channel, according to the Animal Rescue League of Berks County.
Steinmetz, 44, owner of Steinmetz Family Farm, a goat farm in the 300 block of Antietam Road in Alsace Township, was charged with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and one count of neglect of care. He was held for court after a March 11 preliminary hearing before District Judge Steven M. Chieffo, Oley Township, and remains free to await further court action.
According to the criminal complaint:
On Oct. 27, Quakertown Veterinary Clinic in Bucks County completed an online animal cruelty complaint form to the Animal Rescue League’s department of animal protection.
“Owner performed surgery on his goat, without anesthesia or a medical professional present or directing him,” the complaint stated. “He used scissors to cut her open on his barn floor, and then ripped the baby from the mother’s body.
“He then drove mother goat to Quakertown Vet Clinic and had them try to save her. She arrived with intestines and organs hanging out. She died on the table.”
Another online complaint was received anonymously the next day. It stated Steinmetz, who runs a popular goat-snuggling attraction during the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, did a C-section on a 3-year-old goat named Brawny after it couldn’t give birth to an overly large kid.
“He just assumed she was having two babies, never took her to the vet or did an ultrasound … he just sliced her open while she was still awake and alive having no clue what he was doing.”
ARL Animal Control Officer Rachel Harnish spoke to the veterinary who treated Brawny when the goat was brought in for emergency surgery following Steinmetz’s botched C-section
She said she received notice from her staff that Brawny was en route to their facility. The goat’s owner requested that the animal be “closed up” after he performed the procedure on his farm.
Veterinarian Dr. Brigic Sexton and the staff began to work on Brawny, starting basic stabilization and pain-management procedures. The doctor spoke with Steinmetz by phone, advising that since the initial operation was performed in an unsterile environment, the prognosis was poor.
Steinmetz asked that she do everything she could to save Brawny. Sexton began emergency surgery, but Brawny’s heart rate and respiration rapidly declined due to excessive bleeding, and Sexton decided to terminate lifesaving efforts.
Because of the circumstances under which Brawny was brought in, Sexton decided to do a necropsy. She found a very large tear in the uterus close to the cervix and lacerations of several large vessels near the pelvis. When a C-section is performed by a veterinarian, she said, the surgeon will try to steer clear of the pelvis due to the high volume of vessels and acute-bleeding risk.
Sexton told Harnish that she asked Steinmetz what led to him performing the home C-section. He answered that he made a rash decision to prioritize the baby’s life over the mom’s.
On Nov. 4, someone sent a 25-minute video of Steinmetz performing the C-section on Oct. 24. The video, which was posted on a members-only account, opens with two people in a barn holding Brawny down.
Steinmetz can be heard saying, “Without anything. I get it, this sucks.”
Brawny is heard bleating in duress throughout the video as Steinmetz, holding a small silver sharp object, performs the procedure.
This video was preceded by a video on a public channel in which Steinmetz is seen trying for nearly an hour to pull the kid out of Brawny. Steinmetz end the video when he decides a C-section is necessary and switches to the live video on his private channel.