OAK BAY, B.C. — A bowl of nuts helped officers in Oak Bay, B.C., tail a suspected burglar.
But as Const. Sheri Lucas investigated what appeared to be a break-in at a home in the Victoria suburb, she quickly realized the suspect already had a tail — its own.
Lucas had been called by homeowners who found their house trashed when they returned from an extended vacation.
As Lucas and her partner surveyed the mess, they spotted an empty bowl of nuts, shells strewn everywhere and some tell-tale gnaw marks in chocolate left on a counter.
That's when a panicked and angry squirrel was found cornered in the house and the two officers used a towel and broom to scoop it up and set it free.
The homeowners were advised to block vents that may have been the point of entry and Lucas says the destruction left by the rampant rodent was extraordinary.
"We aren't sure why there was so much damage," she says.
"Maybe the chocolate gave it a high it didn't expect?"