ICE targets businesses and restaurants across DC

ICE targets businesses and restaurants across DC
ICE targets businesses and restaurants across DC
Luke Barr/ABC News

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted raids targeting businesses in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, sources confirmed to ABC News.

A coalition of activists had warned delivery drivers and restaurants of the planned enforcement one day prior.

“I have heard those reports, I’ve been getting them all morning. I am disturbed by them,” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters on Tuesday. “It appears that ICE is at restaurants or even in neighborhoods, and it doesn’t look like they’re targeting criminals. It is disrupting.”

She also emphasized that the Metropolitan Police Department was not involved.

Multiple sources told ABC News that federal law enforcement officials visited dozens of restaurants, carry-out spots and bars across several neighborhoods in Washington, including U Street, 14th Street, Chinatown, Dupont Circle and Mount Vernon Triangle. The visits spanned a wide range of establishments, from fast-casual spots to fine-dining restaurants and luxury cocktail bars, reflecting the breadth of the operation.

At many restaurants, agents distributed information and pamphlets requesting to see I-9 forms to verify the identities and employment authorizations for all employees dating back to one year ago. Some restaurants were told that federal officials would return in three days.Following Tuesday’s visits, some restaurant owners chose to close preemptively.

George Escobar, chief of programs and services at CASA, an organization geared toward improving the quality of life for the working class, told ABC News on Tuesday that the organization regularly receives tips about planned raids — but that this one was different.

“This one, to be honest, alarmed us a little bit because it was really specific,” Escobar said.

The organization has run a 24-hour tip hot line since the first Trump administration.

“We’re experienced. We don’t get alarmed by, like, you know, any old threat because, you know, they’re frequent, right? And they come in all different types of forms,” he said.

However, in this instance, CASA was warned that ICE would be using President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at the “beautification” of Washington, D.C., to justify the raids, Escobar said.

“We received notice about a specific kind of operation on how they were going to be conducted: what the pretense of maybe entering some of these small businesses were going to be, the fact that they were looking specifically at food businesses and possibly delivery workers,” he explained.

ABC News reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE for comment but did not receive a response.

“If ICE wants to snatch up every single immigrant working in food service and delivery, then the entire industry will collapse,” Amy Fischer, a core organizer with Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, which supports migrants arriving in the capital, said in a statement.

The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, which represents the more than 60,000 restaurant workers in the area, said in a statement shared with ABC News that it is “deeply concerned” by the reports of ICE raids and drop-ins across Washington, D.C.

RAMW said it urges “policymakers on a local and federal level to consider the real-world impact on local businesses and communities.”

“Immigrants make up a significant portion of our workforce at all levels. From dishwashers to executive chefs to restaurant owners, immigrants are irreplaceable contributors to our most celebrated restaurants and beloved neighborhood establishments,” it added. “The immigrant workforce has been essential to sustaining and growing our local restaurant industry and has been a major contributor to our local economy.

“At a time when our economy is already fragile, losing even one staff member at a single establishment has a profound impact on the operations of a restaurant and its ability to serve patrons,” RAMW added. “Disrupting restaurant staffing across the industry can create a damaging ripple effect felt immediately throughout the entire local economy.”

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Woman killed by alligator during couple canoe trip, husband tried to save her

Woman killed by alligator during couple canoe trip, husband tried to save her
Woman killed by alligator during couple canoe trip, husband tried to save her
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

(POLK COUNTY, Fla.) — A Florida woman was killed by an alligator during a canoeing trip with her husband, who tried to save her during the surprise attack, officials said.

The husband and wife were canoeing in about 2 1/2 feet of water at the mouth of Tiger Creek near Lake Kissimmee in Polk County on Tuesday afternoon when the boat drifted over a large alligator, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The gator thrashed and tipped the canoe over, throwing both the husband and wife into the water, fish and wildlife officials said.

The victim, 61-year-old Polk County resident Cynthia Diekema, ended up on top of the alligator in the water, the officials said.

She was bitten and her husband tried to save her, officials said. Her body has since been recovered.

An investigation is underway, the agency said. An 11-foot-4-inch alligator matching the description of the gator involved was recovered Tuesday night; a second gator, about 10 to 11 feet long, was recovered Wednesday morning, the officials said.

Roger Young, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, called Diekema’s death a “devastating loss.”

Deadly alligator attacks are “extremely rare,” but the “tragedy serves as a somber reminder” of the power of local wildlife, Young said at a news conference Wednesday.

To cut down on the risk of gator attacks, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission urges the public to keep their pets away from the water and to only swim in designated areas during the day.

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Luigi Mangione’s online defense fund surpasses $1 million

Luigi Mangione’s online defense fund surpasses  million
Luigi Mangione’s online defense fund surpasses $1 million
Curtis Means – Pool/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — An online legal defense fund for alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione has surpassed $1 million as he prepares to return to court next month.

The fund reached the million-dollar mark on Tuesday, which coincided with Mangione’s 27th birthday.

Mangione is being held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where his legal team said he “receives anywhere from 10 to 115 letters per day.”

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg hasn’t specifically addressed the defense fund, but he spoke out against the online support for Mangione in general in an interview with ABC News in December.

“Celebrating murder is abhorrent,” Bragg said at the time. “I sit across the table from families who’ve had a loved one killed. And to think of people celebrating that … is beyond comprehension to me.”

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in connection with the assassination-style murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was gunned down outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in December.

Mangione is due back in court on June 26 for the state charges. Defense attorneys have asked to either dismiss or delay the state case in favor of the federal case.

If convicted of the federal charges, Mangione could be sentenced to death. Mangione is next due in federal court on Dec. 5.

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Kentucky bourbon exports at risk as Trump-Canada trade tensions escalate

Kentucky bourbon exports at risk as Trump-Canada trade tensions escalate
Kentucky bourbon exports at risk as Trump-Canada trade tensions escalate
Bryan Woolston/Getty Images

(FRANKFORT, KY) — Kentucky’s bourbon industry faces potential devastation as President Donald Trump’s latest tariff dispute with Canada threatens to halt $43 million in annual whiskey exports. During Tuesday’s Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump maintained his hard stance on tariffs, declaring that Canada would need to make significant concessions to see any relief.

The dispute is part of a broader trade conflict that has particularly impacted American spirits, with Canadian retaliatory tariffs targeting bourbon producers.

Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-KY), chair of the Congressional Bourbon Caucus, expressed concern about the meeting’s outcomes in an interview with ABC News.

“With Kentucky, Canada is our largest trading partner,” McGarvey said. “We’re going to lose tens of millions of dollars in bourbon sales in Ontario province alone, not to mention the whole country, because of what Trump’s policies are doing.”

The congressman highlighted how the administration’s shifting tariff policies are affecting Kentucky’s distilleries. When asked about conditions for ending the tariffs, Trump indicated there were none, a stance McGarvey found particularly troubling.

“If you’re using tariffs as a negotiating tactic, but then you say there’s nothing you can do to get rid of it, that’s going to be problematic,” McGarvey noted.

McGarvey criticized the administration’s approach to trade policy, highlighting the chaos it has created for local businesses.

“There was one week I was working with the bourbon companies in my district where, quite literally, on Monday, the tariffs were on. On Tuesday, they were off. On Wednesday, they were on. On Thursday, they were off again,” he explained.

The impact extends beyond just sales figures. Kentucky’s bourbon industry supports over 22,500 jobs and contributes $9 billion annually to the state’s economy. The ongoing trade dispute threatens this economic engine, with some distilleries already reporting decreased international orders and considering production cutbacks.

Beyond trade concerns, McGarvey also addressed proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid that could impact Kentucky residents.

“The Republican budget that Donald Trump has been pushing will cut Medicaid, 46% of the kids in Kentucky have health insurance through Medicaid,” he said, emphasizing that Kentucky receives more federal Medicaid dollars than its entire state budget.

The congressman, who serves on the Veterans Affairs Committee, also expressed strong opposition to recently announced VA staffing cuts.

“Cutting 80,000 people from the VA workforce is not going to help our veterans access their benefits,” McGarvey stated. “We made them a promise, both a legal and a moral obligation, that we would take care of them after their service.”

As negotiations continue with Canada, uncertainty remains about whether a deal can be reached before the 90-day pause expires. McGarvey and his colleagues continue to push for what he calls “serious, certain strategic trade policies that are beneficial to American workers and consumers.”

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Police searching for missing girl after mother arrested for allegedly locking sibling in closet

Police searching for missing girl after mother arrested for allegedly locking sibling in closet
Police searching for missing girl after mother arrested for allegedly locking sibling in closet
Austin Police Department

(AUSTIN) — Police in Texas said they are looking for a missing 9-year-old girl who hasn’t been seen in over seven years whose disappearance was uncovered after the child’s mother was arrested for allegedly locking her 7-year-old daughter in a closet for weeks.

Virginia Marie Gonzales, 33, of Austin, was arrested on a charge of injury to a child after the 7-year-old girl was found “locked in a closet and starving” last month, according to Austin Detective Russell Constable.

The girl’s grandmother called police after she found the child “malnourished, soiled and barricaded in a bedroom closet” on April 3, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. The grandmother had gone to the apartment after Gonzales was arrested for marijuana possession, according to the affidavit.

Gonzales allegedly barricaded her child in the closet for a month, feeding her a hot dog or corn dog in the morning and evening and half a cup of water daily, according to the affidavit.

The girl was immediately taken to a local hospital for medical treatment, where she was found to weigh 29 pounds and had signs of malnourishment, according to the affidavit. She is currently recovering, Constable said during a press briefing Tuesday, calling the case “emotionally difficult.”

There were six other children in the home between the ages of 2 and 14 who appeared to be physically healthy, police said. Though during the investigation, authorities learned that there was an eighth child, Ava Marie Gonzales, who was not inside the home and had not been seen by family or friends since December 2017, when she was 2 and in the custody of her mother, police said.

“Austin Police Department’s missing person detectives are seriously concerned about Ava’s welfare, given the circumstances in which Ava’s 7-year-old sibling was found,” Constable said.

ABC News reached out to Gonzales’ attorney and did not immediately receive a response. She is being held in the Travis County Correctional Complex on $75,000 bond and has a court hearing scheduled next week, online jail and court records show.

Ava has not been reported missing by her mother or anyone else, Constable said.

Constable said the girl’s mother has “provided conflicting information to many different family members” about Ava’s whereabouts, and police are asking for anyone who may have seen her or knows where she is to come forward.

Police have not identified her father, he said.

Constable said Gonzales has provided police some information regarding her missing child that they are trying to corroborate.

“We’re hoping to get some more information and try to figure out where she is,” he said.

As far as Austin police are aware, none of Gonzales’ children are enrolled in school, Constable said.

Police released an age-progressed photo of Ava, who has brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to email ava@austintexas.gov or can anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 512-572-8477.

ABC News’ Amanda Morris contributed to this report.

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Failed Soviet-era spacecraft expected to crash back to Earth within days

Failed Soviet-era spacecraft expected to crash back to Earth within days
Failed Soviet-era spacecraft expected to crash back to Earth within days
NASA

(MOSCOW) — A failed Soviet-era spacecraft that became trapped in Earth’s orbit by mistake more than 50 years ago is expected to crash back down onto the planet in a matter of days, according to space experts.

Cosmos 482 was launched in 1972 as part of the Soviet Union’s Venera program, which intended to explore Venus, according to NASA.

The unmanned spacecraft experienced a successful initial launch on March 31, 1972, and temporarily orbited Earth.

However, it did not achieve sufficient velocity to launch into a Venus transfer trajectory, NASA said, and the payload — or the portion of the craft significantly related to the craft’s primary mission — was unable to exit Earth’s orbit.

Astronomers hypothesize that a malfunction on a timer caused the engine to burn prematurely, NASA said.

The spacecraft then broke into four pieces. Two of the pieces, which remained in low orbit, decayed within 48 hours. Orbital decay refers to an incremental decrease in altitude, gradually closing a craft’s distance to Earth, according to NASA.

The other two pieces — including the large lander probe — became stuck in Earth’s higher orbit. It has experienced orbital decay for decades, NASA said, and that decay has brought it close enough to reenter the planet’s atmosphere around May 10.

Because the probe was designed to withstand entry into Venus’ atmosphere — which is 90 times denser than Earth’s — it is possible that parts of it could survive reentry and continue onward to the planet’s surface, according to NASA.

The risk of Cosmos 482 striking people on the ground is low — but not impossible, Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, wrote on his website last month.

“No need for major concern, but you wouldn’t want it bashing you on the head,” McDowell wrote.

The lander probe is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere between Friday and Sunday, NASA said. The craft is about 3.2 feet across and weighs about 1,100 pounds.

As of Tuesday, the landing location was estimated to be anywhere between 52 N and 52 S latitude. This large swath contains the United States, as well as most of the continents on Earth.

The time and location of a return to Earth will likely be predicted more accurately as reentry nears, according to NASA.

Astronomers are increasingly monitoring space junk left near Earth during launches of satellites and other spacecraft. There are currently more than 1.2 million known pieces of space debris, 50,000 of which measure more than 4 inches across, according to a 2025 report by the European Space Agency.

“Even if we created no new space debris, it would not be enough to prevent a runaway series of collisions and fragmentations,” the ESA said in a statement.

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Navy loses 2nd fighter jet in Red Sea in a week

Navy loses 2nd fighter jet in Red Sea in a week
Navy loses 2nd fighter jet in Red Sea in a week
Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Another Navy fighter jet sank to the bottom of the Red Sea on Tuesday following the second such mishap aboard the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in just over a week, a U.S. official told ABC News.

The F/A-18 F fighter jet was attempting a nighttime landing onto the deck of the carrier when the crew was unable to stop it in time before going off the side, according to the official. When the “failed arrestment” of the aircraft became apparent, the two pilots ejected.

Both of the pilots were recovered and early indications are that they suffered minor injuries, the official said. No other injuries were reported.

The incident happened at 8:45 p.m. local time in the Red Sea, according to the official. It was not immediately unclear what led to the failed arrestment during the landing.

The incident is the fourth major mishap involving the carrier since it deployed last year, including when another F/A-18 jet fell off the side of the Truman just eight days ago. That jet was being towed in the hangar bay when the crew lost control of the aircraft, which then tumbled off the side along with the tow truck.

An investigation into the April 28 incident remains underway. F/A-18 jets cost some $70 million each.

In February, the Truman collided with a large merchant vessel in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea. That incident followed an accidental shootdown of another F/A-18 late last year by one of the surface ships belonging to the Truman strike group.

The Truman has been operating in the Red Sea since last year when it was deployed to help protect commercial ships against near-constant attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The carrier was slated to come home last month, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth extended its deployment while ordering another carrier — the USS Carl Vinson — to the region to bolster military power.

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. would stop bombing the Houthis because the rebel group had agreed to stand down. A senior Houthi official said the group was not immediately agreeing to a U.S.-proposed ceasefire, saying they had to evaluate it first.

 

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Why it feels like allergy season is getting longer, more severe

Why it feels like allergy season is getting longer, more severe
Why it feels like allergy season is getting longer, more severe
Angelika Warmuth/picture alliance via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Temperatures are beginning to warm up, indicating the arrival of spring — and of allergy season for millions of Americans.

Research shows that allergy seasons may be hitting people harder by starting earlier, lasting longer and creating more pollen.

Growing seasons — the time of year that conditions allow plants to grow — start earlier and last longer than they did 30 years ago, according to a report from the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America.

Additionally, pollen concentrations have increased up to 21% across North America over the last three decades, data from the USA National Phenology Network shows.

Allergists told ABC News a mix of climate change and more carbon emissions has led to plants in many areas having longer growing seasons and higher pollen counts.

“Research has definitely shown that the seasons are indeed expanding,” Dr. William Reisacher, an otolaryngic allergist at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, told ABC News. “We’re seeing longer pollinating seasons. We’re seeing higher levels of pollen.”

What causes seasonal allergies?

Allergies occur when the immune system views food, medicine, plants or something else as a harmful substance and overreacts.

Some seasonal allergies, also known as allergic rhinitis or hay fever, occur due to pollen, which are tiny grains that are dispersed from certain flowering plants.

“Allergies are essentially your immune system overreacting to things that you’re exposed to in your environment,” Dr. Thanai Pongdee, a consultant allergist-immunologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told ABC News. “So, for example, if you have hay fever and are allergic to tree pollen or grass pollen this time of year, when you breathe that pollen in, your immune system recognizes it and causes a cascade of events where various chemicals get released — one of the main ones being histamine, and these chemicals cause the symptoms that many experience.”

This leads to symptoms including runny nose, sneezing, congestion and itchy, watery eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Reactions can range from mildly annoying symptoms to life-threatening reactions including anaphylactic shock, which can cause multiple organs to fail.

As of 2021, an estimated 25.7% of U.S. adults and 18.9% of U.S. children have seasonal allergies, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.

Why are allergy seasons getting longer?

Allergy season typically begins in the spring, around March, and typically ends in the fall, lasting as late as November.

“When we refer to seasonal allergic rhinitis, we are usually referring to allergic symptoms that occupy a certain time of the year,” Reisacher said.

“So, springtime, at least in the northeast, is typically when the trees are pollinating whereas in the summertime, we see the grass is pollinating, and then in the fall, it’s all about the weeds,” he continued. “Ragweed is the most common pollen present at that time of the year.”

However, research has suggested that allergy seasons are getting longer and worse.

“Allergy season is getting longer — in fact it is an average of 13 days longer compared with 20 years ago,” Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist and immunologist at NYU Langone Health, told ABC News.

A 2022 study from the University of Michigan found that, by the end of the century, pollen emissions could begin 40 days earlier in the spring than occurred between 1995 and 2014, meaning there could be an additional 19 days of high pollen counts.

Allergists say climate change is one of the biggest reasons why allergy seasons are getting longer.

A 2021 study found human-caused climate change is worsening North American pollen season, causing them to lengthen by 20 days on average between 1990 and 2018.

Reisacher said that as the globe experiences warmer temperatures each year, more storms are occurring, which kicks up more pollen.

“It travels for many more miles on the wind, and it makes it more allergenic, so it gets deeper into our body, into our lungs and even through the tissues that protect our body,” he said.

The warming planet also means that it’s taking longer to see the first frost, which usually occurs in the fall and hold pollen underground, he said. A longer time to get to the first frost means pollen has a longer time to stay in the air.

Reisacher said greenhouse gases are another reason for the longer allergy season. He said more carbon dioxide has been released into the air due to fossil fuels. Plants feed off carbon dioxide, and this has released more pollen into the air.

“There has been a direct correlation between the levels of [carbon dioxide] in the atmosphere and the amount of pollen that plants, including ragweed, are producing,” he said. “So, it’s hard to deny that that is a factor.”

Reisacher and Parikh say this means there will likely be more people who experience seasonal allergies over the next several years.

How to treat seasonal allergies
Allergists said there are a number of over-the-counter medications that people can try as well as nasal sprays and rinses.

Some are tailored to relieve symptoms while others are used to prevent symptoms. Additionally, only certain medications work for certain symptoms.

“Start with 24-hour antihistamines. They last longer with fewer side effects,” Parikh said. “[You] can also add nasal steroid or antihistamine sprays as well as eye drops. However, if you aren’t improving, please see an allergist.”

Pongdee said allergy shots may be effective for those who are looking for long-term solutions and are not relief from daily medication.

Reisacher recommends starting medications a few weeks before allergy season starts because they need time to take effect.

He said there are also steps people can take to at home to prevent pollen from coming indoors including keeping windows closed in the early morning when pollination is higher, using air conditioner filters. separating indoor and outdoor clothing and showeing to get pollen off skin and out of hair.

“You want to create a safe haven, and that’s your bedroom,” Reisacher said. “You want to create a pollen-free environment in your bedroom so that at least you have seven or eight hours that your immune system can rest without having to react to pollen.”

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ICE reportedly targeting businesses and restaurants in DC

ICE targets businesses and restaurants across DC
ICE targets businesses and restaurants across DC
Luke Barr/ABC News

(WASHINGTON) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement allegedly conducted raids targeting businesses in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

A coalition of activists had warned delivery drivers and restaurants of the planned enforcement one day prior.

“I have heard those reports, I’ve been getting them all morning. I am disturbed by them,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters Tuesday. “It appears that ICE is at restaurants or even in neighborhoods, and it doesn’t look like they’re targeting criminals. It is disrupting.”

She also emphasized that the Metropolitan Police Department was not involved.

George Escobar, chief of programs and services at CASA, an organization geared toward improving quality of life for working-class Americans, told ABC News by phone on Tuesday that the organization regularly receives tips about planned raids — but this one was different.

“This one, to be honest, alarmed us a little bit, because it was really specific,” Escobar told ABC News.

The organization has run a 24-hour tip hotline since the first Trump administration.

“We’re experienced. We don’t get alarmed by, like, you know, any old threat, because, you know, they’re frequent, right? And they come in all different, all different types of forms,” he said.

However, in this instance, CASA was warned that ICE would be using President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at the “beautification” of the U.S. capital to justify the raids, Escobar said.

“We received notice about a specific kind of operation on how they were going to be conducted: what the pretense of maybe entering some of these small businesses were going to be, the fact that they were looking specifically at food businesses and possibly delivery workers,” he explained.

ABC News reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE for comment but has not yet received a response.

“If ICE wants to snatch up every single immigrant working in food service and delivery, then the entire industry will collapse,” Amy Fischer, a core organizer with Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid, which supports migrants arriving in the capital, said in a statement.

The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington — which represents the more than 60,000 restaurant workers in the area — said in a statement shared with ABC News that it was “deeply concerned” by the reports of ICE raids and drop-ins across Washington, D.C.

RAMW said it urges “policymakers on a local and federal level to consider the real-world impact on local businesses and communities.”

“Immigrants make up a significant portion of our workforce at all levels. From dishwashers to executive chefs to restaurant owners, immigrants are irreplaceable contributors to our most celebrated restaurants and beloved neighborhood establishments,” the statement said. “The immigrant workforce has been essential to sustaining and growing our local restaurant industry and has been a major contributor to our local economy.”

“At a time when our economy is already fragile, losing even one staff member at a single establishment has a profound impact on the operations of a restaurant and its ability to serve patrons, RAMW added. “Disrupting restaurant staffing across the industry can create a damaging ripple effect felt immediately throughout the entire local economy.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Woman arrested after raccoon named Chewy found with meth pipe in driver’s seat during police stop

Woman arrested after raccoon named Chewy found with meth pipe in driver’s seat during police stop
Woman arrested after raccoon named Chewy found with meth pipe in driver’s seat during police stop
Facebook / Springfield Township Police Department

(SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, OHIO) — A woman has been arrested after a raccoon named Chewy was found holding a meth pipe in the driver’s seat of her car in what police are calling a “strange encounter on patrol” in Ohio.

The incident occurred on Monday at approximately 7:15 p.m. when Springfield Township police officer Austin Branham decided to conduct a traffic stop on South Arlington Road after identifying a vehicle whose registered owner had an active warrant and a suspended driver’s license, according to a statement from the Springfield Township Police Department released on Tuesday.

When Officer Branham approached the car, he found 55-year-old Victoria Vidal of Akron, Ohio, and was able to detain her without incident, authorities said.

“However, things took an unusual turn,” according to the police statement, “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.”

Police did confirm that Chewy was a pet raccoon and that he was not a wild animal after Vidal had the appropriate paperwork and documentation to own him.

However, a subsequent search revealed that Vidal’s car contained a bulk amount of methamphetamine, crack cocaine and three used glass methamphetamine pipes, police said.

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 also subsequently turned over to Cuyahoga Falls Police on her active warrant where additional charges related to crack cocaine possession will be presented at a grand jury pending lab results.

“Thankfully, 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 racoon,” police said. “While our officers are trained to expect the unexpected, finding a raccoon holding a meth pipe is a first!”

“No raccoons were hurt or injured in this incident,” authorities confirmed. “As always, we remain committed to keeping our community safe — no matter what surprises may come our way.”

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