A masked intruder broke into a Virginia liquor store over the weekend, smashing bottles and going on a whisky-fueled bender before passing out in the bathroom. But this wasn’t your typical heist — the perpetrator was a raccoon with an apparent taste for the hard stuff.
The furry bandit crashed through the ceiling of an Ashland, Virginia liquor store early Saturday morning, November 29, 2025, making a beeline for the whisky section. Store employees arrived to find a chaotic scene: broken bottles, alcohol pooling on the floor, and a thoroughly intoxicated raccoon sleeping it off on the bathroom floor, according to animal control officials who responded to the unusual call.
Night of Wild Abandon
“Personally, I like raccoons,” said Samantha Martin, the local animal control officer who handled the case. “They’re funny little creatures. This one fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went absolutely wild, drinking everything in sight.” Martin transported the inebriated animal to a nearby shelter, admitting she “laughed quite a bit along the way.”
The liquor store employee who discovered the passed-out raccoon likely wasn’t as amused. The animal had managed to knock down multiple bottles from the lower shelves where whisky was stored, creating a costly mess before its drinking spree came to an end in the bathroom, where it was found unconscious but otherwise uninjured.
How did the raccoon manage to evade security cameras? Officials from the Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter explained there’s no footage of the incident because the raccoon entered through the ceiling and “took the cameras down with him” during its dramatic entrance, according to a statement.
From Hangover to Freedom
The town later identified the four-legged intruder as “Cole,” noting he might need a ride home after what they described as a “wild weekend.” But this wasn’t Cole’s first rodeo — raccoons are known for their curiosity and dexterity, though most don’t end up on benders in liquor stores.
“I guess it was just another day in the life of an animal control agent,” Martin remarked after the incident, highlighting the unpredictable nature of her job.
After a few hours of sobering up at the animal shelter, officials determined the raccoon hadn’t suffered any serious injuries from its adventure. “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 Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter stated.
The agency praised Martin for handling what could have been a tricky situation with professionalism — and a sense of humor.
While the store likely faces a cleanup bill and some inventory losses, the tale of the whisky-loving raccoon has at least provided the community with what might be the most unusual Black Friday “shopping” incident of the season.
