An employee at a store selling alcohol in Ashland, in the US state of Virginia, dealt with an unusual weekend break-in on starting their Saturday shift.
After finding bottles smashed and booze pooled on the floor, a trip to the bathroom revealed a semi-conscious raccoon.
The ABC Store employee called the local Hanover County Animal Protection agency, which dispatched officer Samantha Martin to the scene.
“The suspect? A very intoxicated raccoon,” the group wrote in a Facebook post. “Officer Martin safely secured our masked bandit and transported him back to shelter to sober up before questioning.”
The masked marauder sampled several vintagesImage: Samantha Martin/Hanover County Protection/AP Photo/picture alliance
Black Friday break-in
Martin was able to piece the puzzle together on inspection.
“He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything,” she said.
The Hanover County shelter confirmed that the foraging urban omnivore, affectionately nicknamed a “trash panda” in the US because of its checkered facial features and predilection for plunder, had recovered after some R&R.
“After a few hours of sleep and zero signs of injury (other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices), he was safely released back to the wild, hopefully having learned that breaking and entering is not the answer,” it wrote.
Edited by Sean Sinico