Now Entering Our Lexicon: Hamster Theft

Normally, burglars target things like expensive electronics over things like, say, small, ubiquitous rodents, but police in rural Maine say a couple has been busted with swiping a hamster named Link from the kindergarten classroom of the Cornville Regional Charter School last week, reports Central Maine. Though the pair's motive remains unclear, Link has been recovered. "I’m not a veterinarian, but he appeared to be healthy," says the Somerset County sheriff. As to what 26-year-old Gerry Braley and 19-year-old Alexis Lloyd might have wanted with a hamster, and why they didn't just go to a pet store, the sheriff replied, "I believe they felt [the hamster] was alone in the school and they wanted a hamster."

The two are being investigated in a string of burglaries in the area stretching back two months. Braley is charged with four counts of burglary and four counts of theft, while Lloyd is charged with one count each of burglary and theft. Both admit to being involved. The school as well as three nearby camps have also been broken into, reports Bangor Daily News, and stolen items include tools, televisions, and other electronics—though mercifully no other pets. (Meanwhile, scientists try to sort out whether hamsters can be happy.)