By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-17 15:16:59 | Updated at 2024-11-23 00:06:34
5 days ago
A Colorado drug dealer was arrested for selling to minors and sexually assaulting a teenager after a 15-year-old plunged to his death while high.
Benjamin Harmon, 24, dealt psychedelic mushrooms to Boulder high schooler Ames August O'Neal on June 20.
Three days later, O'Neal fell from a crane while hallucinating and died on the University of Colorado construction site of a hotel and conference center.
Harmon has dealt mushrooms to at least 19 other minors - one of which he allegedly sexually assaulted at gunpoint, according to a statement from Boulder County.
The statement also revealed he 'obtained child sexual abuse materials' from another child victim he was distributing illicit substances to.
Harmon was arrested on October 19 and faces 21 drug felonies for dealing mushrooms to minors.
He has also been accused of sexual assault on a child using force, sexual exploitation of a child and contributing to the delinquency of a minor for providing marijuana and alcohol to minors, according to the statement.
Every victim involved in Harmon's arrest was a high school student and some of his drug deals took place within 1,000ft of a school.
Ames August O'Neal, 15, plunged to his death from a crane after taking psychedelic mushrooms in June
Benjamin Harmon, 24, faces 21 drug felonies and 40 counts in total for selling drugs to at least 19 high schoolers and sexually assaulting one
Altogether, Harmon was hit with 40 individual counts.
O'Neal's death triggered the grand jury investigation that led to Harmon's arrest.
Chief of Police John Monahan said in a statement: 'CUPD conducted a thorough investigation in partnership with the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.
'Our thoughts are with all the victims, and their family and friends, during this difficult time.'
The University of Colorado Police Department, the Boulder County Drug Task Force, and District Attorney’s Office worked collaboratively to 'investigate the death and surrounding circumstances,' according to the statement.
Police set him up on August 7 after O'Neal's death by using his phone to coordinate a fake drug deal in the same parking lot Harmon allegedly sold O'Neal the mushrooms that led to his death.
They also looked into his social media history and bank records as a part of the investigation that got him indicted.
Harmon admitted to detectives that he knew his customers were underage, CBS reported.
District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement: 'The loved ones of the 15-year-old boy who was killed continue to suffer from a terrible and tragic loss.
O'Neal fell from a University of Colorado construction site for a hotel and conference center
O'Neal's death triggered an investigation into Harmon. The teen's family started a nonprofit in his honor
Psychedelic mushrooms are legal for people 21 and over in Colorado, but they are illegal on the federal level
'The extensive investigation into his death has led the CU Police Department, Drug Task Force, and DA team to identify other kids being harmed and exploited through drug distribution conducted over a social media app. We are strongly committed to securing the right outcome in this case.'
Harmon's status conference will be held on Tuesday and is being held at Boulder County jail on a $2 million bond, CBS reported.
In their son's memory, O'Neal's parents, Stephanie and Greg, created the Ames O'Neal Memorial Fund, a nonprofit organization to 'support young people in creating a more wondrous world,' its website reads.
Colorado legalized the medicinal use of psychedelic mushrooms for anyone 21 or older in 2022.
But the drug is federally illegal and not backed by the FDA. It is a Schedule 1 controlled substance by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
Oregon was the first state to decriminalize mushrooms.
