Bear With Sweet Tooth Is Terrorizing Family's Home (WATCH)

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA — A California family says a large black bear — with a hankering for sweets — has been terrorizing them for months, breaking into their home on several occasions and helping itself to their food. Now, the family is asking authorities and wildlife officials for help.

Lane Sykes and his wife, Carole Scofield, were out with company — including young children — Wednesday evening and when they returned, one woman with Scofield looked through the window and saw something awry.

"As they're walking towards the house she says, 'There's a bear in your house!'" Sykes told Patch on Monday. "Carole goes, 'Oh, yeah right.'

Sure enough, there was a bear in the couple's kitchen.

In what can only be described as fearless, Scofield chased the bear away and sprayed pepper spray as food and dishes lay strewn across the counter.

Sykes, who has surveillance cameras set up around the house, posted several videos of the ordeal Friday on YouTube. The video shows the 300-pound furry intruder repeatedly reach — and climb — through an open window of his South Lake Tahoe home.

In the videos, the bear reaches over the kitchen sink and pulls itself through the window, knocking over any dishes and plates in its path. The animal then knocks over a large bag of M&M's and proceeds to slurp up the fallen candies off the counter.

When it's finished, the animal — by now nearly 100 percent inside the home — swipes what appears to be a candy bar in a wrapper, backs out of the window with the spoils in hand and finishes its ill-begotten meal on the family's deck. The 7-foot-tall bear later stands on two legs and tries to push open the door to the kitchen.

In subsequent videos, the burglar returns through the window and swipes a bag of Fruit Loops cereal and some leftover M&M's that survived the first intrusion.

Sykes said this isn't the first time the bear has broken into their home. He's visited at least six times in recent months. And the animal seems to have a sweet tooth.

"He likes M&M's," said Sykes.

The animal has sought out maple syrup, chocolate powder and even cinnamon raison bread. He's also know to enjoy some frozen ice cream and sticks of butter.

"He does go for the sweet stuff," said Sykes. "He also goes for vegetables, but that's not his first choice."

In November, the bear actually caused $700 in damage trying to enter the home.

"He pushed-in the front door to gain access to the refrigerator and shelves," Sykes said.

On another occasion, the bear broke into their mudroom when the couple had left out tomatoes and canned corn.

"He was actually pretty polite that time," said Sykes. "He would take the canned corn outside, eat whatever he wanted, then he'd go back in and get the tomatoes. He'd take the tomatoes, eat them outside, then at the end he closed the door."

According to the National Park Service website, bears have an "insatiable appetite and an amazing sense of smell." Anything with a scent is considered food, including canned goods, bottles, drinks, soaps, cosmetics, toiletries, trash, ice chests, sunscreen, bug repellant, fuel, items used for preparing or eating meals. All of these items must be properly stored, which varies depending on the type of bear.

Something that's all too familiar to Sykes: "Bears can easily break into cabins through an open door or window," the Park Service wrote.

Sykes said they keep all of their garbage in a sealed container outside. That help's some, he said, but this is another level.

"Once they learn that you become the grocery store, then it's just easier to go back to the grocery store," he said.

They're now looking at other non-threatening options. to deter the furry burglar from returning to the scene of the crime. Among the ideas he's mulling over: installing mildly electrified floor mats, spreading Pine Sol throughout the house, spreading hot pepper spices and ammonia, and even putting out mothballs, which are small, pungent pellets used to keep away moths.

Sykes has contacted the local sheriff's department and police, but was told the authorities couldn't do much if the bear wasn't physically in the home with humans. He is working with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to see what his options are.

"I expect that he probably might come back," said Sykes.

Sykes has published eight videos of the bear. You can watch them all on his channel.

Photo credit: Screenshot YouTube video