Ann Arbor police officer thwarts drug deal on Maynard Street
An Ann Arbor police officer thwarted a drug deal early Saturday in downtown as a man attempted to sell a bag of mushrooms, according to police.
Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush said an officer on foot patrol on the 300 block of Maynard Street observed two men talking with each other, with one of them holding what appeared to be a small plastic bag in one hand and items that appeared to be mushrooms in the other.
Bush said the man holding the suspected drugs started to hand them to the attempted buyer, but the officer stepped in and placed him under arrest for possession with intent to distribute illegal drugs.
The man who was attempting to buy the drugs told the officer that he was looking to get high and wanted to buy some marijuana from the man. However, the man only had mushrooms and he agreed to buy those instead, Bush said.
Bush did not name the officer who stopped the drug deal.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
mugwump
Sat, Nov 26, 2011 : 6:06 p.m.
I am sure this wasn't a drug deal. Come on, downtown Ann Arbor is filled, overflowing even, with such fine, upstanding citizens these days. I sure is was just one person selling girl scout cookies to another, to help out a siblings girl scout troop.
Bear
Fri, Nov 25, 2011 : 9:28 a.m.
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnopilus_junonius" rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnopilus_junonius</a>
Bear
Fri, Nov 25, 2011 : 9:18 a.m.
Well there are laughing jims that can get you into a euphoric state. They aren't illegal. I wouldn't attempt to find some and eat them though, if I were you. There's a saying amongst mushroom hunters that goes like this, "There are bold mushroom hunters and there are old mushroom hunters, but there are NO old, bold mushroom hunters!" Be careful what you ingest.
Ron Granger
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 1:24 p.m.
The kid was probably just getting ingredients for his turkey stuffing. Have you seen the prices of store bought mushrooms!
Mike D.
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 1:20 p.m.
The grinch who stole Thanksgiving!
C. S. Gass
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 9:59 a.m.
Who cares? It's shrooms. If it was heroin I'd be mildly interested. If it was a rape in progress that was stopped, I'd be impressed. Keeping people from doing unto themselves is oppression. Keeping people from doing unto others, THAT is policework.
Joe_Citizen
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 8:36 a.m.
Many kinds of mushrooms can get you high, but only a few are listed as illegal substances. Some stranger, I don't think so. The kid wanted pot over mushrooms, that's a bunch of Bologna too. He just tried to throw off the cops. Oh, a yes officer, i, i really wanted pot, not psychedelics, that guy, I'll tell you all he had was mushrooms. Come on, give us a break. Psychedelics, carries a much stronger sentence then pot does if they are of the illegal variety. My guess they are not.
Joe_Citizen
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 8:27 a.m.
It is not illegal to sell mushrooms anywhere the last time I checked. There are only a few mushrooms that get you high, and they are rare in these parts. The mushrooms he was selling was probably store bought anyway, and if that be the case then the guy is free to go. He also was probably freed on pending investigation, because the cops have to have them sent to the lab to be checked if they are an illegal substance.
Goofus
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 6:29 a.m.
To quote the great Bill Hicks..." Wouldn't you like to see a positive LSD story on the news? To base your decision on information rather than scare tactics and superstition? Perhaps? Wouldn't that be interesting? Just for once? "Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration – that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we're the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather." Sigh. Someone missed a good insightful night because of that hapless cop. Shame.
Bear
Fri, Nov 25, 2011 : 9:22 a.m.
I love Bill Hicks! He tells it like it should be! Awesome!
Joe_Citizen
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 8:48 a.m.
too funny dude.
Mike
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 3:33 a.m.
Well, there's another Ann Arbor police officer we really should not be burdened with. Can we please cut taxes and layoff more police?
RJA
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 12:35 a.m.
I believe the Officer that thwarted the drug deal WAS on foot patrol. I don't believe ii is necessary to name the officer. Good stop Officer! Nothing good to say about the seller or buyer, soooo Done.
MjC
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 12:10 a.m.
Finally! Glad to see Ann Arbor police out and about like this. The drug dealers (and buyers) are everywhere and don't even seem to care if they're seen by the public or not. Bad times in A2.
Goofus
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 6:29 a.m.
Yeah, the Shroom Epidemic is destroying this town....
John of Saline
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 11:02 p.m.
What happens if you sell just random (non-poisonous, but non-psychedelic) mushrooms to people? Is that illegal? Or is that more in the area of consumer fraud ("Hey, man, no trip with your 'shrooms.")
John of Saline
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 12:05 a.m.
So I guess the key would be to sell them with no claims at all. ("Hey, these are just mushrooms in little baggies. Use 'em in salads and stuff." *wink, wink*)
John of Saline
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 12:02 a.m.
Good to know.
Mick52
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 11:45 p.m.
You are correct Nels, if one is selling them while promoting them as the real thing.
Nels Eriksson
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 11:09 p.m.
Selling false drugs is technically illegal as well, if my memory serves me right.
Nels Eriksson
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 10:36 p.m.
Officer on foot patrol? More like he was sitting in the police substation and looked out the window. The man who was arrested should've known better than to sell drugs within 50 feet of a police station that is usually always occupied, or at least has a police car out front.
Tanya
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 11:05 p.m.
no kidding...must have not konwn the area well enough?
Atticus F.
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 9:44 p.m.
Shrooms are back in town?... Cool.
jinxplayer
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 10:22 a.m.
Agreed!
Bertha Venation
Wed, Nov 23, 2011 : 9:27 p.m.
(psssstt.... hey Mack! Wanna score some shallot??)
justcurious
Thu, Nov 24, 2011 : 12:28 a.m.
ah....shallots aren't mushrooms. Maybe you meant truffles?