<p><strong>ORLANDO</strong> — A bizarre case of alleged wildlife weaponization came to an end when police arrested Martin Henderson, 29, for training neighborhood squirrels to harass his ex-girlfriend. Henderson allegedly used a system of peanut butter rewards to condition the rodents to swarm her car every morning.</p> <p>His attorney argues the squirrels are &#8220;independent contractors&#8221; and his client &#8220;merely suggested opportunities.&#8221;</p> <p>&#8220;My client is an animal enthusiast who happened to feed squirrels in a public area,&#8221; said defense attorney Sarah Goldstein. &#8220;If those squirrels chose to congregate near his ex-girlfriend&#8217;s vehicle, that&#8217;s simply coincidence.&#8221;</p> <p>The ex-girlfriend provided doorbell camera footage showing Henderson conducting what prosecutors call &#8220;training sessions&#8221; complete with a whiteboard and diagrams. Henderson maintains he was &#8220;just teaching them advanced foraging techniques.&#8221;</p> <p>Wildlife experts testified that while squirrels cannot be formally trained like dogs, they can develop behavioral patterns through consistent reinforcement. The case is ongoing.</p>