Body cam video shows officers arresting man with hamsters in pants

COLUMBUS — New body camera video showed police officers arresting a man with hamsters in his pants and accused of breaking into an Ohio pet store.

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As News Center 7 previously reported, Matthew Pancake, 31, is in Franklin County Jail on breaking and entering and vandalism charges after being accused of breaking into a pet store and two other businesses in Columbus on Tuesday.

Officers received a report of a burglar alarm going off at 3 a.m. that a Roosters restaurant had been broken into and surveillance video showed a man with long hair wearing a leopard-print onesie inside the restaurant, according to our news partner WBNS in Columbus.

“Looks like they threw a rock through both entryway doors,” the officer said.

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Officers also discovered the Petland store was broken into, and several animals were spotted running loose in the parking lot, WBNS said.

Video showed an officer capturing one puppy and then another.

“Come here, you’re okay,” he said. “Come here, come here, you’re okay.”

The officer reunited the puppy with the other in the back of a cruiser.

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Officers found Pancake sleeping on a bench. One grabbed him and said he was under arrest.

They searched him and found four hamsters and bedding in his pants.

“There’s multiple gerbils in his pants,” an officer said. “Do you have any more gerbils on you?”

The hamsters were put in a bag and returned to the store.

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