A masked burglar who broke into an American liquor store, drank everything in sight, and passed out next to a toilet has dodged a jail sentence – despite creating a huge clean-up job for staff.
The bandit was something of a nocturnal menace, entering the store early on November 29, and immediately hitting the bottom shelf, where the scotch and whisky were stored.
The suspect acted like an animal because, in fact, he’s a raccoon.
An employee at the liquor store in Ashland, Virginia, 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.”
Ms 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.
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.
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