Notorious drug dealer is arrested after 15-year-old boy fell to death on construction crane while high on mushrooms

A Colorado drug trader was arrested for selling to minors and sexually assaulting a teen aft a 15-year-old plunged to his decease portion high.

Benjamin Harmon, 24, dealt psychedelic mushrooms to Boulder precocious schooler Ames August O'Neal connected June 20. 

Three days later, O'Neal fell from a crane portion hallucinating and died connected the University of Colorado operation tract of a edifice and league center.

Harmon has dealt mushrooms to astatine slightest 19 different minors - 1 of which helium allegedly sexually assaulted astatine gunpoint, according to a statement from Boulder County. 

The connection besides revealed helium 'obtained kid intersexual maltreatment materials' from different kid unfortunate helium was distributing illicit substances to. 

Harmon was arrested connected October 19 and faces 21 cause felonies for dealing mushrooms to minors.

He has besides been accused of intersexual battle connected a kid utilizing force, intersexual exploitation of a kid and contributing to the delinquency of a insignificant for providing marijuana and alcohol to minors, according to the statement.

Every unfortunate progressive successful Harmon's apprehension was a high schoolhouse student and immoderate of his cause deals took spot wrong 1,000ft of a school.

Altogether, Harmon was deed with 40 idiosyncratic counts.  

O'Neal's decease triggered the expansive assemblage probe that led to Harmon's arrest. 

Chief of Police John Monahan said successful a statement: 'CUPD conducted a thorough probe successful concern with the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. 

'Our thoughts are with each the victims, and their household and friends, during this hard time.'

The University of Colorado Police Department, the Boulder County Drug Task Force, and District Attorney’s Office worked collaboratively to 'investigate the decease and surrounding circumstances,' according to the statement.

Police acceptable him up connected August 7 aft O'Neal's decease by utilizing his telephone to coordinate a fake cause woody successful the aforesaid parking batch Harmon allegedly sold O'Neal the mushrooms that led to his death. 

They besides looked into his societal media past and slope records arsenic a portion of the probe that got him indicted. 

Harmon admitted to detectives that helium knew his customers were underage, CBS reported. 

District Attorney Michael Dougherty said successful a statement: 'The loved ones of the 15-year-old lad who was killed proceed to endure from a unspeakable and tragic loss. 

'The extended probe into his decease has led the CU Police Department, Drug Task Force, and DA squad to place different kids being harmed and exploited done cause organisation conducted implicit a societal media app. We are powerfully committed to securing the close result successful this case.'

Harmon's presumption league volition beryllium held connected Tuesday and is being held astatine Boulder County jailhouse connected a $2 cardinal bond, CBS reported. 

In their son's memory, O'Neal's parents, Stephanie and Greg, created the Ames O'Neal Memorial Fund, a nonprofit enactment to 'support young radical successful creating a much wondrous world,' its website reads.

Colorado legalized the medicinal usage of psychedelic mushrooms for anyone 21 oregon older successful 2022.

But the cause is federally amerciable and not backed by the FDA. It is simply a Schedule 1 controlled substance by the US Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Oregon was the archetypal state to decriminalize mushrooms.