"That's when we discovered the raccoon in the front seat with the paraphernalia." With those words, police in Springfield, Ohio held what had to be the most unusual press conference of their lives about a woman's arrest.
What was so noteworthy? Police say after they pulled the woman over, a raccoon named "Chewy" was found in her front seat holding a meth pipe. When officers confiscated the pipe, Chewy pulled out another one. There were also two dogs in the vehicle, police said.
Police say the 55-year-old woman, Victoria Vidal of Akron, Ohio, got their attention when they ran her plate at 7:15 p.m. Monday and discovered she had an active warrant and a suspended license.
The arresting officer said the woman told him she didn't want to open her driver's door because she had a raccoon at her feet. The officer peered in, thinking she was joking, and Chewy looked back.
"Chewy seemed extremely playful," the officer said. The raccoon was looking up mischievously and playing with a plastic bag on the floor. "We wanted to make sure Chewy was taken care of."
Chewy is a beloved pet, police discovered, and they turned him over to a family member.
"He could be our new mascot," one of the arresting officers joked during a press conference. Seriously, the mother of the arrestee took Chewy and police said they plan to make sure the family either gets the proper documentation to keep Chewy or that he goes to a place that does.
Officers said he appeared to be unharmed and had seemingly not ingested any of the meth from the vehicle. Vidal was charged with F3 possession of drugs, three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and was cited for driving under suspension, authorities said.
She was taken to Cuyahoga Falls Police on her active warrant where additional charges related to crack cocaine possession are expected after lab results are in. Officers at the press conference said she appeared to be living in her car and they hope incarceration delivers the help she needs.
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“While our officers are trained to expect the unexpected, finding a raccoon holding a meth pipe is a first!” police said in a release.
“No raccoons were hurt or injured in this incident,” authorities added. “As always, we remain committed to keeping our community safe -- no matter what surprises may come our way.”
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