When an Ohio police officer pulled over a vehicle registered to someone with an active warrant, he probably thought the odds were high he'd find drugs. Officer Austin Branham surely did not expect to find a raccoon in the driver's seat holding a meth pipe.
The "strange encounter," as the department put it, was in Springfield Township on Monday at about 7:15 p.m. A woman also in the car, Victoria Vidal, 55, of Akron, was arrested without incident. The raccoon is named Chewy and his paperwork is in order.
"However, things took an unusual turn as Officer Branham returned to the vehicle, he observed a raccoon named "Chewy" sitting in the driver's seat with a meth pipe in its mouth," the department wrote in a statement. "Chewy had somehow gotten hold of a glass methamphetamine pipe, leading officers to further inspect the vehicle."
Upon said inspection, cops found a "bulk amount" of meth and crack cocaine. Vidal was charged with felony possession, three counts of possessing drug paraphernalia, and cited for driving on a suspended license.
More from Springfield Township police: "Thankfully, Chewy the raccoon was unharmed, and notification was made to the proper authorities to determine that she has the proper paperwork and documentation to own the racoon. While our officers are trained to expect the unexpected, finding a raccoon holding a meth pipe is a first!"
