Yes, Richie from Richie’s Deli and Pizza in front of Anderson Hall. Today around 5:30 p.m., Richie posted this on Facebook:

He said a shoplifting squirrel – who has become notorious among Richie’s regulars – steals a chocolate/chocolate chip muffin from the box on his window counter every day. The squirrel, Richie said, has been at large for the past two weeks.

“Ain’t it funny? Every day, every time I’m trying to be creative so [the squirrel] doesn’t steal, he finds a different way,” Richie said. “And he’s been stealing it at lunch time, not when it’s dead. He steals it when I’m the busiest.”

Richie said the squirrel generally strikes between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and is adept at unwrapping both the plastic wrap the muffins come in and the extra layer Richie adds in the morning.

“People see him steal and no one tells me he’s stealing,” Richie said. “He climbs up [on the counter], goes under and around [then] he finds the chocolate muffin and takes it. Everyone just gets a kick out of it.”

OK, so Richie was likely kidding about the $100 reward, but, rest assured, he will take good care of whomever catches the sticky-handed rodent.

This photo is being used for identification purposes in the effort to find the tiny thief.