LAKE TAHOE, Calif. -- A large black bear is causing huge problems for some residents who live along the north shore of Lake Tahoe.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife said the 700-pound black bear has done about $70,000 worth of damage to homes in the surrounding area.

Efforts to trap the animal have failed.

The average American black bear weighs in at 300-350 pounds. The bear suspected in dozens of Tahoe area break-ins is said to be twice that size if not bigger.

Home video shot by a local resident showed the aftermath of a bear's adventure inside an Incline Village home one week ago.

The bear knocked a hole in the garage door of Susan Tokuda’s home before moving on to the kitchen.

“The cleanup was immense,” said Tokuda. “He would pick up the cornmeal, he didn't like that. He picked up breadcrumbs, didn't like that.“

Then the bear found a motherload of sweets. “He had Costco chocolate chips -- a big, big bag -- and a big bag of marshmallows," said Tokuda.

Tokuda and her husband placed a plywood patch on her garage door and a big bear trap at the end of her driveway. So far, that bear trap has remained empty.

Carl Lackey, a biologist with the Nevada Department of Wildlife, has been chasing one very elusive bear for three years in a row. It’s possible that his quarry may be the same bear that broke into Tokuda's home.

“He avoids the traps like the plague and he's really hard to catch up to, explained Lackey. “He's avoided cameras. We don't have a really good picture of him. All I know he's got a red tag in his ear and he's the size of a VW Bug with fur.”

The Tahoe area sees frequent bear break-ins, but lackey said this particular animal has broken into more than 50 Incline Village homes this summer alone. The bear has caused $70,000 in damage.

“Our policy dictates that if a bear is breaking into homes or occupied structures -- if we can catch the right bear -- it’s euthanized,” said Lackey.

Lackey said the bear is a nuisance because it has learned to associate houses with food. He likely will until he's caught. Given the bear’s success in avoiding capture so far, there’s no telling when the break-ins will stop.