Unexpected Christmas turkey

Occasionally New Hampshire's SeacoastOnline.com site has some intriguing tidbits of Maine news. For instance, this story about a turkey who was late for Christmas dinner at a home in Eliot:

Turkey intruder ruffles feathers
By Deborah Mcdermott
December 31, 2011 2:00 AM

ELIOT, Maine — A home intruder ran afowl of the law this week, making for a most unusual day for Eliot police Officer Dave Arsenault.

Arsenault responded to a Garrison Drive residence around 3:45 p.m. Dec. 26, after the owner reported coming home and hearing something moving upstairs.

On inspecting the outside of the house, the owner found a broken window in a second-story bedroom.

As Arsenault entered the house, he, too, heard the noise and thought he'd caught a burglar red-handed.

With gun drawn, the officer began a systematic search and when he arrived at the door of the bedroom where he'd heard the noise, he prepared for confrontation.

Kicking the door open, he found himself facing not a burglar but a wild tom turkey.

"It appears as if the turkey flew into the window and gained entry to the room. It was basically trapped, and it was quite frustrated," Police Chief Theodor Short said.

Arsenault and the homeowner tried unsuccessfully to throw a sheet over the bird, which did not appear to be injured.

Eventually, the turkey found his way to the window and out on his own.

"I guess you could say he flew the coop," Short said.

Source: http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111231/NEWS/112310322/-1/NEWSMAP