What do you think of when you picture a raccoon in your head? Maybe one rummaging through your trash cans under the cover of darkness, or even “Rocket Raccoon,” the foul-mouthed mercenary in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
Odds are you aren’t picturing one caught in the driver’s seat of car with a meth pipe in its mouth while its owner is being arrested. But that’s exactly what happened in Springfield Township on May 5 when a normal traffic stop turned into something quite abnormal.
When Springfield Township police conducted a traffic stop on South Arlington Road after flagging a vehicle whose owner, a 55-year-old Akron woman, had an active warrant, no one expected to encounter “Chewy,” the meth-pipe-holding raccoon.
Here’s what we know about Chewy, including what happened to him following his owner’s arrest and what raccoon ownership laws are in Ohio.
What led to Springfield Township police discovering Chewy the raccoon with a meth pipe?
Officers initially conducted a traffic stop at about 7:15 p.m. after identifying a red SUV whose owner had both an active warrant and a suspended driver’s license. The vehicle had two occupants at the time of the traffic stop, the suspect and her mother, police said. There were two dogs in the vehicle at the time as well, police confirmed.
After officers detained the driver, they then discovered a raccoon named “Chewy” sitting in the driver’s seat with a meth pipe in its mouth, police reported. Officers discovered the raccoon had dug a hole through a Sheetz bag that was on the driver’s seat and ended up finding seven bags of meth, as well as crack cocaine and three used glass meth pipes, police noted in a press conference shared on Fox 8 News’ Facebook page on May 7.
“On Arlington we see some interesting things but seeing a raccoon holding some drug paraphernalia was a very interesting part of my day,” officer Austin Branham said during the press conference.
What happened to Chewy the raccoon?
The father of the suspect secured transportation for Chewy after he arrived on the scene, and the raccoon was released to the mother of the suspect, Branham said. Police contacted the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to make sure the owners had the proper paperwork for Chewy. Police will either help Chewy be re-homed to a new location or help the owners get the proper certification to own the raccoon.
Branham noted the suspect was in-between living in her car and a residence she provided police.
Police said they want to make sure Chewy is properly cared for as the woman battles a meth addiction and faces houselessness.
“It’s very sad to see someone in that condition with that addiction that is battling that everyday,” Branham said. “We want to make sure that obviously the raccoon gets help but she is able to get the paperwork that she may not be able to obtain or afford because of her current situation.”
Did Chewy the raccoon get any meth in his system?
Officers don’t believe Chewy was able to ingest any meth as it was stored in a sunglasses case, police noted.
“There was no indication that he made it inside of that case and the pipes themselves did not have any residue inside of them, just the burned amount that was on the outside of them,” Branham said. “There was no inherent risk for Chewy to have exposure.”
Is is legal to own a raccoon in Ohio?
Raccoons captured in the wild are not able to be legally owned, but if they were bred in captivity a person could own one with a commercial or noncommercial prorogating license, ODNR wildlife officer Zach Hillman said.
“If it’s a captive raccoon, we are going to try to re-house it, which is most likely what will happen. We have protocols and we are going to find the best available option for the animal,” Hillman noted.
This story was updated to add a video.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio officials to help Chewy the raccoon find a home after meth incident
Reporting by Anthony Thompson, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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