Mother, Father and Son Arrested For Growing Psychedelic Mushrooms: Cops

Joshua Mudge allegedly told authorities the funnels, buckets and empty glass jars were for a school project

A mother, father and son were arrested for growing psychedelic mushrooms at their home, authorities said.

Joshua Mudge, 20, remains in jail Friday without bond, while his parents Betty Lou Mudge, 50, and William Lorne Mudge, 55, were both released on Wednesday on $6,000 bond each.

They were all charged with manufacture of hallucinogenic mushrooms, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Joshua Mudge was additionally charged with felony battery on an officer and resisting arrest with violence.

They were arrested when authorities went to their house about a felony warrant, authorities said. Joshua Mudge told the Charlotte County Sheriff's deputy that his brother didn't live at the home, but he did give them permission to enter the house, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies said they smelled a scent of marijuana coming from a room and saw several funnels, buckets, empty glass jars and propane torch and sandwich bags.

Joshua Mudge said it was for a school project and that they needed to leave, authorities said. After deputies got a search warrant, he became violent, hitting a deputy in the face with a closed fist. They had to zap him with a Taser twice until they could handcuff him, they said.

Eventually, deputies found six plastic bags of psilocybin mushrooms, a plastic container with 1.5 grams of the mushrooms, six syringes labeled with various types of mushroom strains, several starter kits of mushroom strains and other drug-related items.

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