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‘Wild weekend’: Virginia liquor store suffers break-in and property damage, then police identify the culprit and the ‘intruder’ is not who you’d expect

A drunk raccoon was caught after breaking into a Virginia liquor store on Black Friday. The animal went on what officials called a “liquor-fueled rampage” before passing out.This happened in Ashland, Virginia, where the raccoon caused a lot of property damage.

According to Fox News, police followed a trail of broken liquor bottles and found the animal passed out on the bathroom floor, according to Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter. The raccoon was lying next to a garbage can and toilet.

Officials shared a photo of the passed-out animal at the scene and said in a social media post that they brought the “very intoxicated” raccoon back to the shelter to sober up before letting him return to the wild. “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,” they said on Facebook.

The raccoon broke through the ceiling to get inside

The town named the raccoon “Cole” after catching him. Officials said Cole had a “wild weekend” and joked he probably needed a ride home. He didn’t use the front door to break in. Instead, Cole broke through the ceiling of the Virginia ABC store to get inside.

Cole smashed several liquor bottles during the break-in. The shelter said there’s no security footage of what happened because the raccoon “took the cameras down with him” when he came through the ceiling. Animals entering stores and destroying property is nothing new, of course. A few days ago, a bear wreaked havoc in a Pennsylvania Family Dollar store and chased a 11-year-old kid.

An inebriated raccoon named Cole was taken into custody after breaking into a Virginia liquor store on Black Friday, partaking in what officials have deemed a "liquor-fueled rampage."

THIS IS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL 🦝 pic.twitter.com/zeBYVWzX0d

— Rob (@_ROB_29) December 3, 2025

Police took the drunk raccoon to the animal shelter to let him sleep it off. The shelter later said Cole showed “zero signs of injury (other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices)” after he woke up.

Once Cole sobered up, officials released him back into the wild. They said they hope he learned his lesson about how “breaking and entering is not the answer.” While Cole’s wild behavior made headlines and gave readers a good laugh, not all animal encounters result in a non-violent ending.

https://twitter.com/brocknotbroke/status/1996096141209763956

Police responded to the shelter’s statement with a GIF of Simon Cowell clapping. The whole incident happened on Black Friday, and despite the damage Cole caused, he made his mark on the day’s history.

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Coach goes missing days before his team’s biggest game, but what happened Thursday night remains a mystery

Union High School football coach Travis Turner has been reported missing just days before his undefeated team is set to play in their biggest game of the season. This is truly terrible news coming during what should be a happy time for the Big Stone Gap, Virginia, community and its football program.

According to the New York Post, the Virginia State Police officially listed Turner as a missing person on Sunday. This confusing situation started because the coach was last seen way back on Thursday. What makes this whole situation even stranger is the detail about his last known appearance.

Officers were sent to his home Thursday evening to check on a complaint. It’s important to know that the police weren’t there to arrest him, but when they got to the location, Turner was no longer there. This important detail raises more questions than answers about what exactly led to him disappearing that night. State Police confirmed that when he was last seen, he was wearing a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants.

Authorities are using every tool available to find the missing coach

Search efforts in Wise County have totally ramped up as authorities try to find the coach. “We have had the drones up in the air looking, searching,” Jason Day of the State Police said. “We tried to, get the state police aviation, but they were unable to fly yesterday because of the weather. We’ve had, K-9 units, bloodhounds from local departments, sheriff’s office here, and wise state police dogs into the woods, searching, you know, the local area of last known, place where, Mr. Turner may have been or had seen.”

Despite the weather challenges, K-9 units and bloodhounds from local departments and the Wise State Police have been sent out. Day noted they are searching the woods and the local area of the last known place where Turner may have been or had been seen.

It sounds like they’re pulling out all the stops, which is exactly what you want to see in a high-stakes missing person case. Missing person investigations have become increasingly urgent nationwide, with cases like a young child found in horrifying circumstances showing why quick action matters.

In Virginia, a massive search is underway for a missing high school football coach.

State police say Travis Turner was last seen on Thursday, and he was reported missing on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/itZK2dyuqG

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) November 24, 2025

This situation is an incredibly tough emotional blow for the Union High football program. The team had celebrated an impressive 11-0 regular season and was firmly focused on their deep playoff run. Turner’s disappearance happened right when the team should have been focused entirely on practice and preparation for the regional title.

Despite the massive distraction and emotional upheaval, the team has managed to press on. Just one day after Turner went missing, the Bears advanced to the regional semifinal. Assistant coach Jay Edwards stepped up immediately to take over the program as the interim head coach. That must be a huge amount of pressure for Edwards, but he clearly handled it well.

Virginia high school football coach missing amid undefeated season with massive search underway https://t.co/fqCSaTBG9X pic.twitter.com/BtggHaCef2

— New York Post (@nypost) November 24, 2025

The team secured a 12-0 victory against Graham High School in Virginia despite the news swirling around their head coach. That kind of focus and strength in the face of chaos is really impressive. Workplace tragedies have shaken other communities recently, including a shocking fatal attack on a colleague, reminding us how fragile normalcy can be.

Now, the Union Bears are preparing for the biggest game of their season. They will face Ridgeview High School in the upcoming regional title match-up. It’s wild that they’re playing for a championship while their head coach remains officially listed as a missing person. 

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