Drunk raccoon who ransacked Ashland ABC store is a serial break-in artist

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The now-infamous raccoon who got drunk after breaking into a Virginia ABC store in Hanover County is apparently a serial offender.

The story of a raccoon busting his way into an Ashland ABC store, ransacking its shelves and passing out drunk in its bathroom on Friday, Nov. 28 has garnered national attention. It's inspired Virginia ABC advertisements, themed cocktail recipes, a mass scavenger hunt and even a pet election.

Most of all, a limited-time merchandise campaign has raised over $200,000 for the Hanover County Animal Protection Shelter as of the time of reporting.

But the saga isn't over yet. On Thursday, Dec. 11, Hanover County released an episode of its podcast "Hear In Hanover," which featured an interview with Animal Protection Officer Samantha Martin -- the person who responded to this head-scratching call the morning of Saturday, Nov. 29.

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During this interview, she shared shocking new details about this furry criminal.

Nov. 29 incident involving a raccoon breaking into a Hanover County Virginia ABC store. (Photo: Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter)

Nov. 29 incident involving a raccoon breaking into a Hanover County Virginia ABC store. (Photo: Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter)

"This is not the first time he's been in one of the buildings," Martin said, referring to the strip mall in which the ABC store is located. "Supposedly, this is the third break-in he's had. He was in the karate studio -- I think he got into the DMV [and] ate some of their snacks one time."

Martin said she took the raccoon back to the shelter and let him rest in a dog kennel out back for a few hours. She emphasized how important it was to keep him isolated from staff and volunteers because, if he accidentally broke someone's skin, the shelter would have to perform a rabies test on him -- and rabies tests can only be performed if an animal is euthanized.

"For his safety, I was dead set -- 'Do not touch this animal. We need him back into the wild,'" Martin said. "Because he didn't do anything wrong. He was just having a good time!"

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Once the raccoon finished sleeping off his bad decisions, he was released back into the area surrounding the strip mall. But why would authorities return him to the scene of his apparent crime spree?

"We don't relocate him, because that's a death sentence for raccoons," Martin explained. "But somehow he knows how to get back in this building. He's a smart little critter!"

She emphasized that she knows this trashed panda will be back -- but she hopes he'll maybe know better and drink in moderation next time.

"I hope he learned his lesson," Martin said. "But I just say, enjoy your life. I think he's living his best life -- and why not? Have a drink or two, especially on Black Friday!"

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Martin added that no one at the Hanover County Animal Protection Shelter thought this story would go as far as it did. Martin admitted that she hadn't even wanted to post the photos at first, as she wasn't confident that anyone would find this caper funny. She thinks the fact that it even ended up on SNL "crazy" -- but in the best way.

She said that it's been wonderful to see people come together and laugh, especially during stressful times.

"I think people can see the human side of it -- and everybody's been there," Martin said. "Everybody's had a few extra and passed out by the toilet and hoped somebody can come and help you the next morning."

More than anything, Martin said she's been so happy to see how much money this has raised for the shelter.

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"We desperately need it [the money] because our shelter is extremely old," she said. "And the county is growing like wildfire -- we can't keep up. We need more kennel space, we need a bigger well ... we just need a bigger shelter, for the size of the county."

According to Martin, the company that's producing the charitable merchandise, Bonfire, actually reached out to the shelter with this idea. Again, shelter staff never thought "Trashed Panda" shirts, hoodies and more would be as successful as they have been. Martin admitted many of them just liked the idea of having shirts for themselves, which Bonfire was happy to provide -- but then this campaign, much like this story itself, took on a life of its own.

These limited-time items, as of the time of reporting, will only be available for a few more days. You can browse all of the Trashed Panda merchandise here.

The funds raised through these sales will hopefully pay for a new well or an addition onto the shelter, Martin said.

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"You have no idea what you have done," she said when asked what she'd tell those who have contributed. "We are so, so grateful. The animals, truly, are blessed -- and we do try our very best to save [every animal.]"

If you'd like to give one of Hanover's many adoptable animals a home for the holidays, you can do so during an upcoming "Clear the Shelter Christmas Open House" from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20. There will be local vendors, food and hot cocoa -- and even Santa Claus will be in attendance.

"We are desperately hoping that all of our animals will be adopted into loving homes [for the holidays,]" Martin said.

Hanover County Animal Protection Shelter is located at 12471 Taylor Complex Lane in Ashland.