At The Scene
When the two officers arrived at the scene, they saw someone breaking into a local church. As trained professionals, they knew what to do.
But when the men saw what the burglar was facing, they had to step back. The intruder had to deal with an angry skunk that was not supposed to be there and did a great job scaring everyone.
Long-Time Partners
Joe Cole and Andy Miller were partners for almost two decades. They had been through many dangerous situations throughout their service and never backed down from a challenge.
The two officers thought they had seen everything already. But what they were about to see on that faithful night would change their careers forever. It was one of the most unusual encounters.
Difficult Times
After the most recent recession hit the country, the two cops faced a more difficult job than usual. There was an increase in crime, especially robberies, all over their town.
The two partners had more work on their hands than usual, and their department was getting overwhelmed. Even with all their years of experience, it had been much more stressful lately. And people would often get hurt when dealing with these tricky situations.
Not Used To Deal With Animals
Officers Cole and Miller thought they had seen everything during their long service on the force. They couldn't be more wrong.
What they had to deal with that night was not something they encountered often. Sure, they dealt with dangerous animals in the past, but they had never seen one acting so strange. And definitely not a skunk.
Trouble In The Area
The two officers were used to patrolling a certain area of Spokane County. However, their assistance was needed all over their small town sometimes.
The two men felt like they were responsible for everyone's safety in that area and wanted to keep it peaceful. But lately, due to the increase in crime all over town, they had more trouble to deal with than usual. There were robberies everywhere. The two cops were at a loss and didn't know how to handle the situation anymore.
A Sense Of Community
Officers Cole and Miller were loved by the entire community. They were there a lot, always saying hi to the old ladies and receiving cookies and smiles in return.
The two cops knew the area was more vulnerable than others in town because so many old people lived there. They never expected to go through such an unusual experience, though.
A Night Call
One night, while they were on the job, the two officers received a disturbing call about something happening in the area they usually patrolled.
The officers were informed that a caller could see a man walking around inside the church building on the live surveillance feed. The man was wearing a mask that covered his entire face, had a flashlight, and was checking out the church's audio equipment.
Local Treasure
The church was in the middle of a park, and everyone considered it a local treasure. The two officers knew what the place meant for the old ladies in the area, so they couldn't allow anything to happen to it.
And the question was, what if there was someone inside that could get harmed by the burglar? Even if it was quite late, that was a possibility.
Heading To The Scene
Officers Cole and Miller turned on the siren and rushed to the scene in question. They knew some details of what was going on there, but they never expected to encounter this.
The church was minutes from them, but it felt like the road would never end. They were worried and wanted to solve the situation as fast and as peacefully as possible.
Dangerous Situation
As soon as they arrived at the scene, the two cops wanted to get a better idea of what was going on. But it wasn't that easy. They knew there were dangers.
The officers decided to wait for a police dog unit's arrival before entering the building. As they waited, one of the cops saw the burglar in the church as he began climbing out of an open window. And that wasn't the only thing he saw.
Freeze!
As they saw the perpetrator, the officers demanded that the burglar get his hands out in the open and get down on the ground.
The burglar seemed to be responding to the commands of the cops. But the young man was actually terrified of something else. And it would soon freak out the two cops as well.
Already Stopped
The burglar was already frozen on the spot, and the reason was a surprise for everyone. The cops realized that a skunk was close to the perpetrator, making hissing noises at him.
Officers Cole and Miller didn't know how to react at first, but then something even scarier for the burglar happened. The skunk decided to act and sprayed the man before running away into the bushes.
Unlikely Hero
The skunk was at the right time and at the right place. The animal stopped the robbery, and the entire police crew at the scene deemed it a hero.
The entire situation de-escalated quickly, and the only thing bad out of it was an insufferable smell. But the cops would soon get over it, which couldn't be said about the burglar.
In Custody
The officers took the burglar into custody and later identified him as 28-year-old Grant M. Simonson. When questioned for a motive, Simonson responded that he was "wide awake and bored." He was riding his bicycle on the street where the church was before the incident and saw an open window.
Simonson was booked at the police station for Burglary and then released later that day on his own recognizance after appearing before Superior Court Commissioner J. Stine. It was not stated as to whether or not Simonson might have gotten a speedier trial than normal, given the circumstances.
Bodycam Footage
Later, the bodycam footage from the scene was made public, and it went viral. No one expected the police to be assisted by a skunk. "The skunk is a wild animal and not affiliated with law enforcement or the church," one of the officers stated.
The representative also jokingly said that it was not clear yet whether or not the police station might cite this particular incident as a reason to request the addition of skunks to the police force for a more efficient means of addressing crimes in progress. In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.