Most people can tell the difference between a wild rat and a white laboratory rat, but apparently not every alleged con artist sees the importance of the difference.
The Wisconsin State Journal reports that Debbie Miller, aged 41, of Appleton
….claimed to find the rat in her lunch April 17 as she ate at the upscale Seasons Restaurant in Grand Chute, according to the criminal complaint.
She threatened to alert the media unless the owners paid her $500,000, the complaint said.
The owners turned the rat over to their insurance company. Investigators there determined the rodent was a white laboratory rat, not a wild rat, the complaint said.
Tests also suggested the rodent had been cooked in a microwave, but the restaurant doesn’t use microwaves in cooking.
(Emphasis added)
I am a blogger, and not a certified, credentialed ratologist, but even I could easily tell a lab rat from a wild one. What’s more, I could tell the difference between convection and microwave cooking. If I could tell, a restaurant could probably tell, too.
Next time — a Weber grill, perhaps.