Chewy the Raccoon Busted With a Meth Pipe

A routine traffic stop in Springfield, Ohio turned into something else when 55-year-old Victoria Vidal was cited for driving with a suspended license. Vidal was asked to exit her car while police officer Austin Branham wrote her up.

Then, “things took an unusual turn,” according to a Springfield Township Police Department press release. “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. Chewy had somehow gotten hold of a glass methamphetamine pipe, leading officers to further inspect the vehicle.”

The inspection uncovered a “bulk amount” of methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and three used meth pipes. “Thankfully,” the cops say, “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 raccoon.”

Vidal was charged with possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, and was cited for driving under suspension. She was released, with Chewy, as she awaits a grand jury hearing to determine if she’s up against even more charges.

FOX 8 News tracked Vidal down (to a condemned house she does not own). “The game warden told me I had to find a place for him and I told the truth, that I wouldn’t,” she says. “They said, ‘would you surrender him?’ and I said, ‘what are you going to do with him?’ They said he is too human-imprinted and they would euthanize him and that broke my heart.” 

The Springfield police are now working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to determine Chewy’s future. “They mean everything to me,” Vidal says. “I mean, I would die for my animals, for real.”

Photo credit: Springfield Township Police Department