Pet squirrel that foiled Idaho home burglary returns to wild

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A pet squirrel that gained fame by thwarting a home burglary in Idaho has returned to the wild.

Adam Pearl says Joey climbed onto his shoulder for an affectionate goodbye earlier this month, then scampered up a backyard apple tree at his Meridian home and hasn’t been seen since.

Pearl says Joey was so young he still had his eyes closed when friends found him on the ground late last summer after he fell out of his nest.

Pearl and his wife, Carmen, took Joey in and raised him.

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Joey made headlines in February when police nabbed a burglary suspect who reported fleeing a home after being attacked by a squirrel.

Adam Pearl says Joey likely found a girlfriend and that’s why he left home.