Springfield Township Police had an interesting encounter Monday after a pet raccoon was found with a meth pipe during a traffic stop.
Around 7:15 p.m., a Springfield officer conducted a traffic stop on South Arlington Road because the registered owner of the vehicle had a suspended license, police said.
The 55-year-old driver was detained without incident, but that's when things took a turn.
The officer returned to the vehicle and found a raccoon named Chewy sitting in the driver's seat with a meth pipe in its mouth, police said.
After discovering the raccoon and its strange recreational activities, officers searched the vehicle further and found a bulk amount of methamphetamine, crack cocaine and three used glass meth pipes, police said.
The driver was charged with possession of drugs, three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, and was cited for driving under suspension, police said.
She was also turned over to Cuyahoga Falls Police on her active warrant. Additional charges related to crack cocaine possession will be presented at a Grand Jury pending Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation lab results, police said.
Chewy was unharmed, and its owner did have the proper paperwork and documentation to have the raccoon.