SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, OH — A routine traffic stop in Springfield Township took an unusual turn on May 5 when a raccoon was discovered holding a meth pipe in the front seat of a vehicle, prompting further investigation and drug charges against the driver.
According to a release from the Springfield Township Police Department, Officer Austin Branham conducted the traffic stop around 7:15 p.m. on South Arlington Road after identifying a vehicle registered to an individual with an active warrant and a suspended driver’s license.
The driver, identified as 55-year-old Victoria Vidal of Akron, was detained without incident. However, when Branham returned to the vehicle, he observed a raccoon named “Chewy” sitting in the driver’s seat with a glass methamphetamine pipe in its mouth.
A search of the vehicle uncovered a bulk amount of methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and three used glass meth pipes.
Vidal was charged with third-degree felony possession of drugs, three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, and was cited for driving under suspension. She was also turned over to Cuyahoga Falls Police on her outstanding warrant. Police stated that additional charges related to the cocaine are pending grand jury review and lab results.
Authorities confirmed that Chewy the raccoon was unharmed. Officials notified the appropriate agencies to verify that Vidal possessed legal documentation to own the animal.
"While our officers are trained to expect the unexpected, finding a raccoon holding a meth pipe is a first," the department stated. "No raccoons were hurt or injured in this incident."
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