The masked burglar broke into the closed Virginia liquor store early on Saturday and hit the bottom shelf, where the scotch and whisky were stored. The bandit was something of a nocturnal menace: bottles were smashed, a ceiling tile collapsed and alcohol pooled on the floor.
The suspect acted like an animal because, in fact, he’s a raccoon.
On Saturday morning, an employee at the Ashland-area liquor store found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.
“I personally like raccoons,” said Samantha Martin, an officer who works at the local animal control. “They are funny little critters. He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything.”
Martin said she took the raccoon back to the animal shelter, though she had her fair share of giggles along the way.
“Another day in the life of an animal control officer, I guess,” she said.
Raccoons are common in Virginia, according to the state’s Department of Wildlife Resources. They are found in forests, parks and sometimes in cities — and apparently, at a liquor store.
The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter commended Martin for handling the break-in, and confirmed the raccoon had sobered up.
“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,” the agency said.
It’s not the first time this year that a raccoon was found in a place where it shouldn’t have been. In May, a raccoon was found with a glass methamphetamine pipe in its mouth and was sitting in the driver’s seat of a car in Ohio.
The vehicle was pulled over because its registered owner had an active warrant and a suspended driver’s license, the Springfield Township Police Department said.
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