A man was arrested after allegedly bludgeoning two lambs to death and severely injuring a third at a high school in Gonzales in Monterey County, police said Thursday.
The suspect, 31-year-old Jose Jesse Marquez, was arrested after the lambs were found at Gonzales High School on Saturday morning. The animals were part of the school’s agricultural enrichment program.
Gonzales police said Marquez was found riding a bicycle on Rincon Road, just northeast of the high school, on Thursday morning.
Marquez, who was wanted for an outstanding warrant on an unrelated charge, was taken into custody after a short struggle, police said on the department’s Facebook page.
At the police department, Marquez confessed to entering the school grounds on his bicycle, intending to steal an unknown tool. He said he “felt angry” while at the school and took his frustrations out on the three farm animals.
Marquez is now being housed at the Monterey County Jail. The county District Attorney’s Office was unable to provide further information on his charges.