USA - Man faces 50 years for growing mushrooms

[Phungushead]

Man faces charges of growing mushrooms

VALPARAISO -- A March 17 traffic stop led police to a man who allegedly has been growing and selling psychedelic mushrooms.

Bradley Adrian Putnam, 24, has been charged with felony dealing in psilocybin and felony manufacturing a controlled substance.

He faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted of the dealing charge, the more serious felony.

Police arrested him Monday, one day after police stopped a vehicle on Calumet Avenue in Valparaiso. A passenger in the car identified Putnam as a mushroom dealer.

When police arrived, Putnam invited them in and denied selling or growing the mushrooms; however, an officer noticed a plate of mushrooms on the table, drying under an oscillating fan.

They found seven plastic totes with mushrooms growing in various stages and several jars of spores.

He allegedly told police he was doing it to make money.

He is being held in Porter County Jail on a $20,000 bond.

Police also arrested the man driving the vehicle they had pulled over, Kevin D. Johnson, 20, of DeMotte.

He has been charged with felony possession of marijuana in excess of 30 grams, felony possession of a controlled substance (three psilocybin mushrooms) and false informing for giving the name of his brother when police pulled them over.

Johnson was released on $8,500 bond Wednesday.

Police found the drugs using a drug-sniffing dog. The marijuana was under the back seat and the mushrooms were stuffed in a bag of diapers, police said.

Another man, a woman and an infant boy were also in the car, but no one else has been charged.


March 21, 2009

By James D. Wolf Jr.
Post-Tribune correspondent
http://www.post-trib.com/news/porter...charge.article

Pic from phungushead

"Harsh... "

[blipblop]

That is ridiculous.
What the hell was he thinking though, to invite the cops in when he had drugs out on plates??? And telling them he was doing it to make money? Must have been on something at the time...

[rizla1]

what a tool.

Reputation Comments on this post:

not a very helpful or informative post

[Phungushead]

Mother of accused mushroom grower faces own charge

VALPARAISO -- A woman charged with allowing her son to grow and deal psychedelic mushrooms in their Valparaiso apartment had her trial date set Monday for Nov. 2.

Marilyn Putnam, 50, of the 300 block of Worchester Drive, faces up to three years in prison on the felony charge of maintaining a common nuisance.

Judge Roger Bradford set her bond at $300 at Monday's initial hearing so Putnam could return to her job as the cook and bus driver at a Chesterton day care.

She has no prior arrests and has roots in the area, her attorney argued. Her son, Bradley Adrian Putnam, 24, was arrested March 18 and charged with dealing in psilocybin and manufacturing a controlled substance.

He faces up to 50 years in prison and is being held in Porter County Jail on a $20,000 bond.

His trial is set for July 29.

Police discovered the psilocybin mushroom growing operation after they stopped some of his customers for speeding on Campbell Street on March 17.

A canine unit found baggies containing three mushrooms and marijuana stuffed in between diapers in an open bag. More marijuana was found under the passenger's seat, putting the amount at more than 30 grams.

An infant was also in a car seat in the back seat.

Police charged Thomas W. Harvey II, 28, of Portage with felony possession of a narcotic drug and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

His trial date is Aug. 17, and he faces up to three years in prison.

Kevin Johnson, 20, of DeMotte received the same charges plus felony charge of false informing for telling the police that he was his brother. That charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Johnson has a Sept. 23 trial date.

When police went to the Putnam apartment about 12:45 a.m., they found mushrooms drying on a living room table under an oscillating fan.

The son told police that they were his and that he dried them while his mother slept.

With a warrant, police found seven plastic totes of mushrooms in various growing stages.

Marilyn Putnam told police she knew about the operation and tried to get her son to stop.

May 19, 2009

Post-Tribune correspondent
http://www.post-trib.com/news/porter...ms0519.article