Local animal trapper Geoff Foss attempts to coax a raccoon out of hiding March 14 after it spent the night inside the Lake Almanor Fly Fishing Co. Photo by Geoff Foss

  An unlikely — and surprisingly persistent — intruder wreaked havoc in a local business last week.

  On Wednesday, March 13, Tom Maumoynier, owner of Lake Almanor Fly Fishing Co., received an alarming phone call from a friend informing him that a break-in had occurred at his shop.

  He rushed over and immediately called the sheriff, who told him not to go inside until he got there. When the sheriff arrived, he and Maumoynier went inside and saw bloodstains on the register, scattered merchandise throughout the store and paw prints on the walls and floors. Whatever was in the store had fallen through one of the glass skylights, injuring itself along the way.

Keeping a lookout for a small animal, the men spotted a raccoon scurrying about. They chased it into the storage room where it hid behind the water heater, refusing to move. A trap was set in the room and the door shut.  

  The next day, Maumoynier expected to return to find the raccoon trapped inside a cage. Instead, he found his shop had been further torn apart, the door to the storage room had been pried open, and the mischievous raccoon was still hiding behind the water heater.

  Tom decided to call local trapper Geoff Foss, who arrived at noon to cage the raccoon. Attempts to coax it out from behind the water heater failed and Foss had to use deadly force to rid the store of this cute but violent animal.

  Maumoynier said his insurance company is requiring that he close the store until an adjuster can examine the damage. He hopes to have everything back up and running within a week but is uncertain if that will be the case.