Pet raccoon with meth pipe in its mouth found in driver's seat during Ohio traffic stop, police say

An officer in central Ohio encountered a pet racoon while conducting a traffic stop earlier this week. The animal, named "Chewy," had a glass methamphetamine pipe in its mouth and was sitting in the driver's seat of a car that the officer had pulled over, police said. 

The discovery led Springfield Township Police Officer Austin Branham, who conducted the traffic stop, to search the vehicle more thoroughly. He and other officers found methamphetamine, crack cocaine and three used methamphetamine pipes elsewhere in the car, according to the Springfield Township Police Department.

The vehicle was pulled over because its registered owner had an active warrant and a suspended driver's license, the department said. Law enforcement arrested and charged the owner of the car, 55-year-old Victoria Vidal, with drug possession and three counts of drug paraphernalia and cited her for driving under suspension, the police department said. Vidal may face more charges for crack cocaine possession, depending on the outcome of lab results still to come from the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

The raccoon was not harmed, police said, and officers confirmed Vidal has the documents needed to legally own the animal. (In Ohio, people are allowed to have pet raccoons, but the process to keep them domestically is highly regulated and certain permits are required.)

Springfield police released body camera video of the traffic stop, which shows Chewy emerging from the car.

"While our officers are trained to expect the unexpected, finding a raccoon holding a meth pipe is a first!" the department said.