http://www.wsoctv.com/news/13523595/det ... 0706182007

Source Of E. Coli Possibly Linked To Slaughtered Goat In China Grove Restaurant

POSTED: 4:35 pm EDT June 18, 2007
UPDATED: 9:33 am EDT June 19, 2007

CHINA GROVE, N.C. -- Rowan County Health Department officials said they have found the probable cause of the E. coli outbreak stemming from a China Grove restaurant.

Officials said several employees slaughtered a goat in the kitchen of the Captain’s Galley after-hours one evening in May. They believe the utensils used to kill the goat were then used to prepare food, which made more than a dozen people sick.

The restaurant has now been closed indefinitely. It had been allowed to remain open while the health department tried to pinpoint the source of the bacteria.

Officials said the employees are immigrants, but they couldn’t say whether they are illegal or why they slaughtered the goat, but they do know the goat meat was not served at the restaurant. They said an anonymous tip from a former employee helped them in the investigation.

“It’s certainly not in our normal investigation to ask if animals have been slaughtered in the kitchen,â€