Not your average traffic stop: Watch video as police find racoon with meth pipe
Not your average traffic stop: Watch video as police find racoon with meth pipe
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Raccoon seen holding meth pipe, owner charged with possession of drugs
Police came across the bizarre scene during a traffic stop in Akron, Ohio. The owner received multiple charges, including possession of drugs.
Police found a raccoon with a meth pipe in its moth after its owner was arrested on an active Monday, leading to even more charges, according to police.
On Monday, an officer with the Springfield Township Police Department made a traffic stop that would lead to a shocking discovery.
"While our officers are trained to expect the unexpected, finding a raccoon holding a meth pipe is a first!" wrote the Springfield Township Police Department on Facebook. "No raccoons were hurt or injured in this incident."
Chewy the raccoon's owner, Victoria Vidal, 55, was arrested in Springfield Township, Ohio, around 15 miles north of Cincinnati, after a traffic stop led to police discovering that she was driving with an active warrant and suspended license, according to a post made to the Springfield Township Police Department's Facebook.
Watch unusual traffic stop when police find raccoon holding meth pipe
However, that wasn't the unusual part of this story.
When an officer returned to the car after Vidal's arrest, he found Chewy in the driver's seat of Vidal's car, "with a meth pipe in its mouth," the Facebook post said.
"Chewy had somehow gotten hold of a glass methamphetamine pipe, leading officers to further inspect the vehicle," according to the police department.
The discovery led police to investigate and search the car, where they found drugs and pipes.
What did police find?
A search revealed the following were in the car, according to police:
A bulk amount of methamphetamine
Crack cocaine
Three used glass meth pipes
'Walking past my dog' challenge: Owners test pups' recognition skills, with mixed results
What was Vidal charged with?
The discovery of the raccoon led to Vidal receiving multiple charges, including third-degree felony possession of drugs and three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, according to police. Vidal was also cited for driving under suspension.
"Additional charges related to crack cocaine possession will be presented at Grand Jury pending BCI lab results," police said.
Vidal was handed over to another police department, the Cuyahoga Falls Police, on her active warrant.
How is Chewy the raccoon?
Chewy the raccoon was unharmed, and police determined that Vidal did have the proper documentation needed to own the raccoon.
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sheriff accused of killing judge seeks dismissal of indictment
(NewsNation) — Defense lawyers for former Letcher County, Kentucky, Sheriff Mickey Stines — accused of fatally shooting a judge in his chambers last year — have filed a motion to throw the case out. They argue prosecutors violated grand jury proceedings. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Camilla mayor, clerk, elections supervisor free on bond
CAMILLA – The city of Camilla's mayor, clerk and elections superintendent walked free after a bond hearing held Friday. Mayor Kelvin Owens was released on a bond of $6,000, City Clerk Cheryl Ford was released on a $10,000 bond, and Elections Superintendent Rhunette Williford was released on a $7,000 bond. The three city officials were arrested on May 28 and charged with election interference and other charges. This was the same day a Mitchell County Grand Jury returned an indictment against the trio. The Grand Jury handed down the 13-count indictment on Wednesday in relation to a November special election for an unexpired Camilla City Council seat that was ultimately won by council member Azalee Vereen. On Election Day, the city's special election was canceled, and voters were barred from voting. The special election resumed at 4 p.m. that day, running until 4 a.m.. The arrests follow a lengthy legal case involving two former city council members who were ruled ineligible to serve because they could not prove they were residents of Camilla. No bond hearing had been held in that case as of Monday morning.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
What we know about the shooting involving Marysville suspect, Union County sheriff's deputy
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation continues to investigate a Union County sheriff's deputy shooting a suspect multiple times after the man shot at Marysville police officers responding to a domestic violence call. The man, whom law enforcement had not identified as of May 30, was transported to a Marysville hospital before being transferred to a Columbus hospital. His condition is unknown, according to a statement released by Marysville police after the shooting. A Marysville police officer also suffered undisclosed injuries, was hospitalized and later released. He was not identified by police. Marysville police requested that Ohio BCI investigate the shooting, said BCI spokesman Steve Irwin. When reached by phone on the afternoon of May 30, Marysville police said they did not have any additional information beyond their statement they released on their Facebook page. Here's what we know so far about the incident: Marysville police said that officers responded at 2:16 a.m. on May 30 to a report of a domestic dispute in the 900 block of White Oak Court, located off Quail Hollow Drive and North Maple Street. When officers arrived, police said the suspect pulled out a gun and shot at officers from his vehicle. The officers returned fire as the suspect drove from the scene, striking a Marysville police cruiser with an officer inside as well as at least three other parked vehicles and a mailbox. Marysville police, Union County sheriff's deputies and Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers pursued the suspect west along U.S. Route 33. His vehicle somehow became disabled in the median of U.S. 33 near Northwest Parkway, where he left the vehicle holding a gun, police said. That's when a sheriff's deputy shot the man multiple times. Law enforcement officers began rendering aid until paramedics from the Marysville Fire Department arrived and transported him to a local hospital. He was later transferred to a Columbus hospital, his condition unknown. A Marysville police officer suffered an injury in the initial shooting, but police did not elaborate on what injuries the officer suffered. The officer was treated at a local hospital and released. No other officers or deputies were hurt. The man faces several felony charges, including assault on a peace officer, police said. The shooting closed the eastbound and westbound left-hand lanes of U.S. Route 33 near State Route 4 for several hours while authorities investigated the shooting. The roads reopened at around 9 a.m. A neighbor who asked not to be identified told The Dispatch that police had visited the home on White Oak Court several times prior to the May 30 incident. The neighbor said the home is owned by a woman who lives there with her boyfriend. Police have not confirmed that they have previously visited the address, and court records don't indicate any history of domestic violence calls to that address. The gunfire incident in Marysville marks the third time within a week that central Ohio law enforcement officers have come under gunfire in the line of duty. On the evening of Memorial Day, May 26, Daniel Weston Sherrer, 31, a Morrow County sheriff's deputy, was shot multiple times while responding to a domestic violence incident. Paramedics transported Sherrer to a local hospital, where he later died. The suspect, Brian Michael Wilson, 53, was also wounded in the shooting after Sherrer shot back and was initially hospitalized in serious condition. He has been charged with aggravated murder, according to Morrow County court records. Wilson has an extensive history of violence, according to Marion County court records. More than 300 people, including several central Ohio law enforcement agencies, attended a May 29 candlelight vigil at the Morrow County Sheriff's Office to honor Sherrer's life. The vigil included sermons from two Morrow County pastors as well as an honor guard demonstration from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. On May 28, two Mifflin Township police officers were shot while chasing a suspect who fled from them during a traffic stop. The suspect, 21-year-old Daveonte Dixon, has been charged with attempted murder and felonious assault. He was taken into custody on May 30 after shooting himself as law enforcement officers were closing in on him at an Obetz apartment complex, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said at a press briefing at the apartments. No law enforcement officers fired their weapons. He was transported to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in critical condition. Baldwin did not take any questions and said that another press conference would be held Monday morning to release further information. One of the Mifflin Township officers, who was shot in the arm, has been released from the hospital. The other officer, who was transported in critical condition but later upgraded to stable, underwent an 11-hour surgery on May 29 and is currently in the intensive care unit, according to Brian Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9. He is expected to have a long recovery. Neither of the officers have been publicly identified. The FBI Cincinnati office offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to Dixon's arrest. Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, and the U.S. Marshals Service are also each offering $5,000, bringing the reward total to $40,000. It was not immediately clear if a tip led investigators to Dixon's location. Dispatch reporter Bailey Gallion contributed to this story. Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@ at ShahidMeighan on X, and at on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What we know about Union County deputy shooting Marysville suspect
