VERNON — A Vernon resident encountered an unwelcome intruder last week, waking up to find a bear in the kitchen.

The bear climbed onto the deck of the house on the 500 block of Grandview Drive on Wednesday morning and broke a screen, police said.

Once inside the home, the bear turned on the water in the kitchen sink and made a wet mess on the counter, police said. The bear then tore through food in the cabinets before it climbed back out the window once the resident began screaming, officials said.

When police arrived minutes later, the bear was nowhere to be found. Police notified the state Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The resident was not hurt.

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