Raccoon breaks into Milwaukee church, caught on camera: 'Little rascal'
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee church has some cleaning up to do after a break-in, and the culprit was caught on camera.
The raccoon bandit won't be serving jail time, but is the reason Chosen Generation Outreach Ministry services were canceled Thursday night, Aug. 17.
"Never seen anything like this," said Pastor Ingrid Durr.
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Durr found a sign of a break-in at a church where everyone is welcome – nearly.
"I said, ‘Oh, somebody must’ve thrown a brick in there or something,’" Durr said.
Chosen Generation Outreach Ministry
"That’s the only one that’s not welcome: the raccoon," she said. "They climbed up that tree right there."
Outside Chosen Generation Outreach Ministry, Durr said she has seen a family of raccoons. She just didn't expect to see one running around inside.
"I’m looking through my phone and my footage and everything around the building, and that’s when I see this little rascal on the table," said Durr. "I saw it walk away, seen the long tail, and I said, ‘That’s a raccoon.’"
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The raccoon was caught red-pawed in the church’s dining room. Durr recruited some neighborhood help to make sure the rascal left the church
"I believe it’s a beacon of light here," she said.
Which is also a potential beacon, for what raccoons like most.
"It’s probably looking for food, and I’m hoping it didn’t open the refrigerator," Durr said.
Aftermath from raccoon inside Chosen Generation Outreach Ministry, Milwaukee
Knocking down ceiling tiles and leaving a general mess, the raccoon may have overstayed its welcome.
"The office is still whack, but at least I know what it was now, little rascal running around," said Durr.
It seems the raccoon is out, but Durr has a crew coming out Thursday night to be extra sure.
According to the city of Milwaukee’s website, they don’t do animal removal – and capture for animals considered "nusiances," like raccoons and skunks, need to be done by an animal control service.