Ohio woman finds surprise under her car's hood

ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio woman needed animal control, not a mechanic, when it turned out the thumping under her car’s hood was coming from a stowaway groundhog.

Rebecca Martin says she heard the noise Tuesday while running errands with other family members in Athens in southeast Ohio.

When they pulled over in a Walmart parking lot and lifted the hood, Martin says up popped one of the largest groundhogs she’d ever seen. It then choose to burrow in near the engine, so 911 was called.

Athens County Dog Warden Jeff Koons responded, and it took him more than 5 minutes to get the critter to come out. When it finally did, it scurried across Martin’s feet and eluded Koons for another half-hour hiding under cars. He captured the groundhog and released it in a rural area.