courts

By Caleb Hutton

A Bellingham man who pulled hallucinogenic mushrooms from his hat after a traffic stop will serve 15 days in jail.

Tyler Bodhi Gourley, 20, was pulled over Dec. 30, 2011, after police witnessed a drug deal in an apartment parking lot at 2050 Fraser Street, a “high crime area,” according to charging documents.

Officers asked if Gourley had any drugs on him. He said yes, and pulled three Ziploc baggies from his hat, according to the charges.

One bag was full of marijuana, prosecutors wrote; the others had a total of 12.4 grams of mushrooms. The mushrooms contained psilocyn, the active hallucinogenic ingredient in so-called magic mushrooms.

Gourley pleaded guilty to soliciting possession of psilocyn. He began serving his 15-day sentence Tuesday.

By recommendation of prosecutors, 349 days of his sentence was suspended. That means if he violates the terms of his sentence, he would be facing a much longer jail term.

Note: Headline fixed at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 12.