'Masked bandit' raccoon breaks into Virginia correctional facility

July 27 (UPI) -- A small and furry "masked bandit" from Georgia has continued to evade capture after breaking into a Virginia prison.

Staff at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center said the raccoon, aptly nicknamed Bandit, stowed away in a truck delivering a toolbox to the facility and managed to sneak onto the grounds through a small hole, WAVY reported.

Since breaking into the facility, Bandit has made regular appearances near the jail canteen, where snacks for inmates are stored, and has set up a home between two buildings.

"I've been working here for 26 years and I've never heard of a story of someone trying to break in, only trying to break out," Captain of the Criminal Intelligence Unit, Rocky Holcomb, told WVEC.

Animal control set up a trap to catch the mischievous raccoon, but it has continued to roam freely outside the facility for weeks.

Officers believe the raccoon has stuck around because it has some source of food or water, likely a nearby dumpster.

Bandit has a small route in and out of the prison and Holcomb said the raccoon's regular appearances continue to provide excitement as they await its eventual departure.

"It breaks the day up. You see something different. We actually have some inmates that come down here and work and they see it down there," Holcomb said.