Goat spends years evading police around Kentucky highway

March 2 (UPI) -- A goat that has been evading Kentucky police for years has become like a "pet" to area construction workers, one worker said.

Police in Hardin County said the goat was dubbed "Houdini" by locals because it always manages to escape before officers can show up to capture it.

The goat is most frequently seen around Interstate 65, and witnesses said he's been on the loose for years.

"We would call animal control and state police, and every time they'd come to get him, he's gone," construction worker Peggy Gross told WAVE-TV. "Houdini -- the I-65 Goat. He's our pet out here."

Houdini has frequently been seen balancing on a concrete barrier at the side of a bridge on the highway.

"He's smart, he won't get in the road, he'll get up next to the road, but he won't get in it or anything. he just stays under the bridge and goes back and forth," Gross said.

Houdini has become a bit of a local celebrity, with a Facebook page set up to track sightings earning more than 20,000 fans.

"He does what he wants and we're jealous, so we look up to him. He's our hero. He's inside of all of us," said Tom Pitt, who created Houdini's Facebook page.