Paw prints in judge’s office spell end for masked bandit

The judge took it in with a swift look — the papers in disarray; the remainders of what the thief had left; footprints leading away from the scene.

Analysts came.

John Spink / jspink@ajc.com

“Russell” the raccoon has been up to no good.

• Photos: The misbehaving raccoon

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They photographed the scene, took an inventory of missing goods, and agreed: a bandit had breached security at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building.

No longer. Authorities trapped the bandit Monday morning as he prowled in the ceiling above offices where judges dispense justice.

Now, extradition awaits the masked intruder, a young raccoon.

“My theory is, because he had a mask on, he got through security,” said Judge Paul W. Bonapfel, a federal bankruptcy judge who reported the crime last week.

When he got to work, Bonapfel discovered that a marauder had broken in to his 14th-floor office and eaten nearly half an apple.

But the raccoon goofed: it left a trail of tracks across a stack of federal memos. The judge called in his staff and others to solicit their opinions. Their verdict: Procyon lotor, a raccoon, had busted in.

Busted in and went on a crime spree.

In the days following the apple caper, jurists and their staff reported other misdemeanors — chocolate chip cookies stolen from a 10th-floor desk; a purloined sandwich on the 9th; a packet of dried soup stolen from the 23rd floor.

Some days, federal employees working in the quiet, carpeted rooms would hear … something, something knocking above the office door.

One court clerk designed a “wanted” poster featuring a likeness of the intruder. Bonapfel’s staff posted a “raccoon crossing” sign on the judge’s door and kept their eyes on the ceiling.

So did the General Services Administration, which oversees the big building on Spring Street in downtown Atlanta.

It hired a firm that specializes in catching wildlife that has gone astray. Its employees slipped a wire trap in the ceiling over the offices assigned to Judge Mary Grace Diehl — a veritable raccoon highway, based on reports.

Workers baited the trap with tuna, closed the tiles, and advised the judges to wait. In addition to being blind, justice can be slow.

Their wait ended Monday when Jean Sloan, Diehl’s judicial assistant, heard a chirping overhead.

“I thought, ‘Maybe there’s a dove up there,’” Sloan said. Then, she thought again, and called for help.

Two big guys came quickly. They climbed a step ladder, removed the tiles and collared the suspect. Office workers promptly named him “Russell,” in honor of the building’s namesake, a former Georgia governor and U.S. senator.

How did Russell breach security? The building, where metal detectors beep if you leave a penny in your pocket, is full of large guards who take a dim view of unwanted visitors. A locksmith could make a career in the place.

GSA workers theorize Russell wriggled into the heating system from outside, then climbed pipes and ventilation ducts to commit crimes in the southeastern corner of the building. Nearby construction may have driven the creature to seek quieter digs, they think.

But Russell took a wrong turn and cannot stay, said Robert Perkins, the 23-story building’s manager.

“We’re going to see if we can get him turned loose on a farm somewhere,” said Perkins. “We’re going to take him a long way from this building.”

That’s fine with Bonapfel, who was reluctant to pass sentence on the intruder.

“We don’t have jurisdiction over raccoons,” said Bonapfel. “We leave that to the executive branch.”