Waynesboro man pleads guilty in mushrooms case

WAYNESBORO -- The man charged in Waynesboro's largest bust for illegal mushrooms pleaded guilty this week in Circuit Court to possessing and distributing the psychedelic drug, which police found stored in more than 100 jars in his apartment.

In July, authorities charged Felix Christopher Gutierrez, 31, with a single felony charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

Gutierrez faces a maximum of one year and four months in prison, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney David Ledbetter said.

A Waynesboro police investigation developed quickly after police received a tip of possible drug activity in Gutierrez's apartment. Authorities seized 107 Mason jars and several large tubs, each containing several psychedelic mushrooms.

Police also found material used to grow the mushrooms, including pots and soil, thermostats, vents and scales. They found no sales records in the man's apartment and could not estimate the street value of the mushrooms.

Psychedelic mushrooms are a hallucinogenic that can produce intense distortions of reality, causing users to see images, hear sounds and feel sensations that seem real but are not, according to the National Institutes of Health.

As of 1997, authorities believed more than 10 million Americans experimented with mushrooms, according to papers Waynesboro police submitted to the commonwealth attorney's office.

"There's a perception: no harm, no charges," Ledbetter said. "But mushrooms can be very dangerous."

Gutierrez remains free on bond as he awaits sentencing.

Chase Purdy is a staff writer for The News Virginian in Waynesboro.