Why N.H. police issued an arrest warrant for Punxsutawney Phil
While Boston has its hands full tracking the聽Boston Yeti聽galumphing around the city, the聽听颈苍 New Hampshire has put out an arrest warrant for groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, via its Facebook page.
鈥淲e know we are a day early, however we here at Merrimack Police felt compelled to let the public know that there is a warrant for Punxsutawney Phil! We have received several complaints from the public that this little varmint is held up in a hole, warm and toasty,鈥� wrote Lt. Denise Roy of the Merrimack Police Department鈥檚 Criminal Investigations Unit on the department鈥檚 Facebook page. 鈥淗e 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!鈥�
The public was quick to respond.
搁别蝉颈诲别苍迟听聽responded to the post, 鈥淵ou have identified the wrong suspect. Queen Elsa is behind this weather.鈥�
聽replied, 鈥渃ould you put out a warrant for Snow Miser too? I think they are working together.鈥�
Police officer Roy says in a phone interview, 鈥淚 was talking to the chief and we were saying we need to keep it light and not let the seven feet of snow we have piled up here get to us.鈥�
鈥淲e never put out a wanted poster on an animal before,鈥� says Roy. 鈥淏ut we already decided his punishment is going to be life in the hole without parole. No bail for Phil.鈥�
Part of the decision to try and lighten things up comes from the influx of complaints from New Hampshire residents beside themselves over a neighbor blowing snow onto their property.
鈥淲hen those calls started coming in I thought people could really use a laugh,鈥� Roy says. 鈥淭his is a really great community. When you start to get those kinds of calls you need to do something to release the stress over seeing your driveway, streets and yard shrinking under the snow that鈥檚 boxing you in.鈥�
People needed someone, other than their neighbors, to blame for the misfortune and Roy and the department gave them Phil鈥檚 head on a platter 鈥� so to speak.
However, Merrimack isn鈥檛 the only city struggling to kick off a deep blanket of snow.
In Boston, Charlotte Wilder penned 鈥溌燜rom the City of Boston,鈥� which quickly became viral on social media.
Dear Snow, I could say 鈥渋t鈥檚 not you, it鈥檚 me,鈥� but that would be the biggest lie I鈥檝e told since I promised the British they wouldn鈥檛 get shot at if they showed up by sea. It is you. It鈥檚 100 percent you.鈥�
Twitter is rife with tweets that range from moping to coping by donning bikinis and running out into the white stuff.
A series of聽聽prank videos centering around a large snowman standing on a corner in various New England states and randomly coming to life and scaring the daylights out of residents has been popular since late November 2014.
However, in the past some residents took to聽听颈苍 what might be a case of displaced aggression.
On the other hand, those in the Northeast should know that there are people willing to pay to be in the snow.
The Crazy Camps website offers聽聽that sound very much like those currently snowbound. An international mix of people 鈥淐ooking, eating & cleaning together. Crazy group games.鈥�
