Drunk Raccoon Wrecks Liquor Store
An ABC store, operated by the North Carolina Alcohol Beverage Control Commission, at 2806 Hillsborough Road in Durham, North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Ildar Sagdejev under CC BY-SA 4.0.
When a raccoon broke through the ceiling of a Virginia ABC liquor store in Ashland overnight, it didn't just steal — it smashed open bottles, swigged hard liquor, and passed out drunk in the bathroom by morning. This bizarre incident, spotted by store staff and handled by animal control on December 3, 2025, delivers both a shocking crime twist and a reminder of how wild animals are adapting to urban life.
A Nighttime Intruder With a Taste for Trouble
The story reportedly begins in the quiet hours of a Saturday morning when an employee arrived at the Ashland ABC Store in Hanover County, Virginia, only to find a scene straight out of a wildlife comedy. The store was in disarray — shattered bottles of Scotch and whiskey littered the floor, and puddles of expensive liquor glistened under the fluorescent lights. But the real surprise awaited in the bathroom: a raccoon, sprawled out and passed out drunk.
This wasn't your typical raccoon rummaging through trash. According to Samantha Martin, an animal control officer involved in the case, the masked bandit had broken through a ceiling tile to gain entry and then went on a full-blown rampage, targeting the bottom shelf where the hard liquors were stored, as reported by the Associated Press. The raccoon knocked over bottles, causing a mess of broken glass and spilled booze, before lapping up the alcohol until it was too intoxicated to move.
The Aftermath: From Boozy Bandit to Sobered Survivor
The raccoon's escapade ended with it reportedly collapsing near the porcelain toilet, where it was found snoozing by the store employee. Animal control quickly responded, taking the inebriated critter back to the Hanover County Animal Protection & Shelter. "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 agency said, as reported by The Guardian.
This incident, while amusing, also highlights the adaptability of raccoons to urban environments. According to The Guardian, a recent study noted that raccoons living in cities are showing physical changes that resemble early domestication, such as shorter snouts, smaller teeth, and curlier tails. Their ability to thrive alongside humans is partly due to their opportunistic feeding habits — they feast on human refuse and have learned to endure human presence without aggression.
So next time you hear a raccoon rummaging outside, remember: it might just be plotting its next wild adventure — and who knows, maybe it'll be back for another round at the liquor store.
References: New Video Shows Drunken Raccoon Ransacking Liquor Store | Drunk raccoon found passed out in Virginia liquor store after wild night | Drunk raccoon found passed out in Virginia liquor store | Virginia
