Crime-fighting squirrel foils robbery

When an unwitting burglar broke into a house he had no idea his dastardly plan to raid the property would be foiled by ... a squirrel!

Homeowner Adam Pearl, said he knew something was amiss when he arrived at his Idaho home to find footprints in the snow. Upon checking his gun safe he found that, sure enough, somebody had tried to break in.

The only witness to the attempted robbery was his pet squirrel, Joey. But it seems the bushy tailed rodent had in fact sent the robber packing after driving him, well ... nuts.

Investigating the robbery that took place in Meridian, 15 minutes west of Boise, according to Fox News, police officer Ashley Turner questioned a suspect about a possible squirrel attack.

"She said while she was questioning the individual he had scratches on his hands," explained Pearl "So she asked him, 'Did you get that from the squirrel?' And he says, 'Yeah, damn thing kept attacking me and wouldn't stop until I left.'"

With the stolen items recovered Pearl said he intended to reward the crime-fighting squirrel with its favourite candy snack.

"He is a pain in the butt, but he is great."