Sisters students busted for selling psilocybin

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Department arrested one young adult and cited two juveniles for alleged possession and distribution of psilocybin mushrooms at Sisters Middle/High School on Friday, September 4.

All three are students at Sisters High School.

According to the sheriff's department, Charles Michael Simmons, 18, of Bend, was arrested for alleged possession and delivery of a controlled substance. Simmons was lodged in Deschutes County Jail in lieu of $30,000 bail.

Sunnie Ehukai Woessner, 17, was cited for alleged delivery of a controlled substance and released to his parents.

Richard Foss, 17, was cited for alleged possession of a controlled substance and released to his parents.

Psilocybin mushrooms are a Schedule I controlled substance. Delivery of a Schedule I controlled substance is a Class A felony. Possession of a Schedule I controlled substance is a Class B felony.

According to the Deschutes County District Attorney's office, the penalties for a Class A can range from probation with or without local jail time to 20 years in prison and/or a $300,000 fine.

Class B felonies can draw from probation to 10 years in prison with up to $200,000 in fines.

"What an individual actually receives depends on prior history, the amount of drugs involved, whether minors were involved, etc.," said an assistant district attorney.

According to Sisters Middle/Senior High School Principal Dennis Dempsey, the students were observed off a road near the school exchanging baggies during the lunch break.

"Every so often we will go out in the woods to see if anything is going on" said Dempsey. "When Vice Principal Rich Shultz was on his way back to school, he saw a car pull off onto one of the back roads near the campus. He saw the students exchange a plastic bag."

Shultz notified Dempsey, who called the Sheriff's department. A deputy and detective from Sisters went to the school. Psilocybin mushrooms were found in three automobiles. Illegal knives were also found in one vehicle, according to Dempsey.

A fourth student was found in possession of psilocybin mushrooms as a result of the investigation, according to Dempsey, although there was no record at the sheriff's department of a fourth citation.

In addition to the arrest and citations, the four violated school policy. One student was suspended for 10 days. Three students were suspended pending expulsion hearings, Dempsey said.

Simmons was to be arraigned on the charges on Monday, September 7. A court appearance date for the juveniles has not been set.