‘Wild weekend’: Virginia liquor store suffers break-in and property damage, then police identify the culprit and the ‘intruder’ is not who you’d expect

A drunk raccoon was caught after breaking into a Virginia liquor store on Black Friday. The animal went on what officials called a “liquor-fueled rampage” before passing out.This happened in Ashland, Virginia, where the raccoon caused a lot of property damage.

According to Fox News, police followed a trail of broken liquor bottles and found the animal passed out on the bathroom floor, according to Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter. The raccoon was lying next to a garbage can and toilet.

Officials shared a photo of the passed-out animal at the scene and said in a social media post that they brought the “very intoxicated” raccoon back to the shelter to sober up before letting him return to the wild. “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,” they said on Facebook.

The raccoon broke through the ceiling to get inside

The town named the raccoon “Cole” after catching him. Officials said Cole had a “wild weekend” and joked he probably needed a ride home. He didn’t use the front door to break in. Instead, Cole broke through the ceiling of the Virginia ABC store to get inside.

Cole smashed several liquor bottles during the break-in. The shelter said there’s no security footage of what happened because the raccoon “took the cameras down with him” when he came through the ceiling. Animals entering stores and destroying property is nothing new, of course. A few days ago, a bear wreaked havoc in a Pennsylvania Family Dollar store and chased a 11-year-old kid.

Police took the drunk raccoon to the animal shelter to let him sleep it off. The shelter later said Cole showed “zero signs of injury (other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices)” after he woke up.

Once Cole sobered up, officials released him back into the wild. They said they hope he learned his lesson about how “breaking and entering is not the answer.” While Cole’s wild behavior made headlines and gave readers a good laugh, not all animal encounters result in a non-violent ending.

Police responded to the shelter’s statement with a GIF of Simon Cowell clapping. The whole incident happened on Black Friday, and despite the damage Cole caused, he made his mark on the day’s history.