Carpenter fired from job after saving raccoon's life

One good deed ended up costing carpenter Todd Sutton his job.

When Sutton arrived at his job working on the expansion project at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in February, he found that a raccoon who was on the grounds had been caught in a trap. He was set to be euthanized, but Sutton decided that the raccoon deserved a second chance at life. "I was just doing what I thought was right," he told the San Francisco Chronicle. "He was just a little baby. I said, 'I'm not going to let this happen. I'm going to do what is necessary for this raccoon.'" He put the cage in his truck, and placed a call to animal control for more information on next steps.

Later in the day, Sutton's boss asked him if he taken the raccoon, and he told the truth. Sutton was fired, with the reason being that the raccoon was damaging the project, and the general contractor didn't want the raccoon to be cornered and hurt workers. The contractor also said he considered the taking of the raccoon theft. Sutton has since found another, lower-paying job, and is working with employment attorney Stephen Jaffe to determine if the firing was legal. "You don't have to be an attorney to have common sense," Jaffe said. "I personally think Todd is a hero. Why would any company take such a strict position on killing an animal?"

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