It started innocuously enough. A raccoon in Ashland, Virginia found a gap in the ceiling of a state liquor store, squeezed through, and helped himself to the inventory. By the time store employees arrived the next morning, he had smashed 14 bottles, sampled liberally from the wreckage, and passed out cold on the bathroom floor.
Wildlife officials removed him safely. He sobered up. He was released back into the wild, presumably with a headache.
Then came the twist: investigators determined it wasn't his first offense. The same raccoon is suspected in break-in at a nearby Department of Motor Vehicles office, a caper manifestly less satisfying than the liquor store, He is also implicated in the break-in at a martial arts studio.
Hanover County Animal Protection launched a "Trashed Panda" T-shirt fundraiser that raised $78,000. The raccoon remains at large and has not issued a statement, according to the Washington Post.
