An Arrest Warrant Is Issued For Punxsutawney Phil, The Groundhog Who Predicted Six More Weeks Of Winter


Fed up with winter? Apparently, so is New Hampshire’s Merrimack Police Department. In fact, they’ve issued a warrant for the arrest of Pennsylvania’s beloved Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog who saw his shadow on the day named in his honor, according to the Associated Press on February 11. When Phil sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter is predicted.

Obviously in fun, the Department indicated that the furry Most Wanted Rodent is wanted in connection with the massive amounts of snow that have accumulated on the East Coast. They’ve even posted this on their Facebook page.

“We have received several complaints from the public that this little varmint is held up in a hole, warm and toasty. He told several people that Winter would last 6 more weeks, however he failed to disclose that it would consist of mountains of snow! If you see him, do not approach him as he is armed and dangerous. Call Merrimack Police, we will certainly take him into custody!”

Police Chief Mark Doyle said that Lieutenant Denise Roy came up with the idea when they were discussing the three major storms that hit New England since January 27.

“We were chatting about how sick and tired we were, and she came up with the idea,” Doyle said. “Everybody is looking at it for what it is: a tongue-in-cheek, lighthearted look at the winter we’re having in the Northeast.”

Roy said that they “would extradite no matter where anyone finds this rodent.” Though Phil normally resides in a hole burrowed in the ground in Pennsylvania, the Lieutenant hoped he would be found somewhere warm, such as in Florida or Arizona.

“Just keep saying ‘March 20, 2015, March 20, 2015’ That is the first day of Spring and it will be here before we know it,” the Police Department wrote in a separate Facebook post.

Roy stated that she would seek the maximum penalty should they catch Mr. Phil: “Life in the hole with no parole.”

The cheeky groundhog has been in trouble with the law before. In 2013, officials in Ohio “indicted” him for misrepresentation of spring, a felony “against the peace and dignity of the state.”

According to The Washington Post, Phil also saw his shadow last year, predicting what turned out to be one of the most brutally long winters in the United States, dragging into March 2014 in many places.

The groundhog first started making predictions in 1887. Phil has seen his shadow 102 times and not seen it merely 17 times. Amazingly, AccuWeather finds “the rodent has an 80 percent accuracy rate.”

What do you think about Phil being arrested? Where do you think he’s hiding? What sentence would you give him?

[Lead image via Naskah-Drama.]

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