‘Early morning burglar’ in Virginia home turned out to be hungry raccoon, police say
An “opportunistic raccoon” that just wanted a snack was mistaken for a burglar at a Virginia home, officials said.
Deputies were called to a home in Stafford County around 3 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, about a burglary in progress, according to a news release from the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. But when they got there and searched the home, they found no signs of forced entry.
About 30 minutes later, dispatchers got another call — this time about a sneaky raccoon that had managed to escape notice when deputies searched the home the first time.
The sheriff’s office said the “early morning burglar” had broken into the home in search of food.
Deputies were able to corral the raccoon into a bathroom and used a ballistic shield, an ironing board and walking sticks to shoo the “masked intruder” back outside, the sheriff’s office said.
It was then “released to forage in the wild.”
“Normally this type of crime would result in a felony charge and no bond, but deputies had compassion for the naughty nocturnal nuisance,” the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said there were no injuries — including to the raccoon — during the incident.
Stafford County is in northern Virginia, about 70 miles north of Richmond and about 45 miles from Washington, D.C.
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 3:04 PM with the headline "‘Early morning burglar’ in Virginia home turned out to be hungry raccoon, police say."
