A story from the paper yesterday...funny!
A criminal squirrel held two police officers at bay Tuesday afternoon and ultimately escaped but not before dining on a few chocolate snack cakes. Sgt. Doug Hines said Wednesday he can't recall any calls during his 17 years on the police force as comical as the one he and Patrol Officer Brandon McCray handled Tuesday afternoon. The "Case of the Misfit Squirrel" got under way at about 4:50 p.m. when Hines was called to the Hawk gasoline station/convenience store at N. Water and 12th Street after police received a report that a wild black squirrel was in the store. When he arrived, Hines spotted the squirrel resting on some cans of Pringles. Aparently realizing the gig was up, it then fled to the next aisle and jumped onto a shelf where it promptly started eating chocolate snack cakes. Hines said that he attempted to guide the squirrel off the shelf and out the door, but the rodent ignored him. Assisted by McCray, the two men then attempted to push the squirrel into a container. Instead of complying with the police order, the squirrel jumped onto McCray's pant leg and crawled up to his shoulder, where it decided to take a break. Hines said McCray then walked very slowly out the door with the squirrel on his shoulder. By the time he made it to the door, the animal had moved to his lower back. Once outside, Hines had to push the squirrel a couple of times before it finally released its hold on McCray and jumped off, fleeing the scene and avoiding prosecution. Hines said employees don't know how long the squirrel was in the store before an employee noticed it. He said officers are assuming it is the same squirrel that has been seen rummaging through a refuse can near the entrance/exit doors and that it sneaked in with a customer. The squirrel, Hines added, acted really tame. "It didn't seem to be in an attack mode, it was more concerned with eating the chocolate snackcake," he said. Hines noted that squirrel removal isn't something he and McCray learned at police school. "We devised a plan and did what we did...we were sort of winging it," He explained.
A criminal squirrel held two police officers at bay Tuesday afternoon and ultimately escaped but not before dining on a few chocolate snack cakes. Sgt. Doug Hines said Wednesday he can't recall any calls during his 17 years on the police force as comical as the one he and Patrol Officer Brandon McCray handled Tuesday afternoon. The "Case of the Misfit Squirrel" got under way at about 4:50 p.m. when Hines was called to the Hawk gasoline station/convenience store at N. Water and 12th Street after police received a report that a wild black squirrel was in the store. When he arrived, Hines spotted the squirrel resting on some cans of Pringles. Aparently realizing the gig was up, it then fled to the next aisle and jumped onto a shelf where it promptly started eating chocolate snack cakes. Hines said that he attempted to guide the squirrel off the shelf and out the door, but the rodent ignored him. Assisted by McCray, the two men then attempted to push the squirrel into a container. Instead of complying with the police order, the squirrel jumped onto McCray's pant leg and crawled up to his shoulder, where it decided to take a break. Hines said McCray then walked very slowly out the door with the squirrel on his shoulder. By the time he made it to the door, the animal had moved to his lower back. Once outside, Hines had to push the squirrel a couple of times before it finally released its hold on McCray and jumped off, fleeing the scene and avoiding prosecution. Hines said employees don't know how long the squirrel was in the store before an employee noticed it. He said officers are assuming it is the same squirrel that has been seen rummaging through a refuse can near the entrance/exit doors and that it sneaked in with a customer. The squirrel, Hines added, acted really tame. "It didn't seem to be in an attack mode, it was more concerned with eating the chocolate snackcake," he said. Hines noted that squirrel removal isn't something he and McCray learned at police school. "We devised a plan and did what we did...we were sort of winging it," He explained.
That's funny. Never a dull moment in the life of a policeman.
ReplyDelete