A rural Blue Earth man arrested at United Hospital District campus in Blue Earth last October is facing charges.
James Andrew Wenkheimer, 38, has been charged with felony second-degree possession of 50 grams or 100 dose units of amphetamine/PCP/hallucinogens and a gross misdemeanor charge of possession ammunition/firearms by user of a controlled substance.
“We do have an open, pending investigation other than the narcotics charge that is still ongoing,” says Scott Adams, Faribault County chief deputy.
Following his arrest last month, Wenkheimer was booked into jail and released pending an investigation by county authorities and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Wenkheimer made his first court appearance in district court on Nov. 18 and conditions of release were set.
According to a criminal complaint, deputy Briar Bonin, an agent with the South Central Drug Investigation Unit, was assisting another deputy with execution of an unrelated search warrant at a rural Blue Earth residence on Oct. 2.
Bonin noticed six jars containing what appeared to be psilocybin mushrooms, says the complaint. He also saw three plastic totes with lids that appeared to be used to grow organic material.
Authorities spoke with Wenkheimer’s wife, court papers say, and she indicated that her husband had been growing mushrooms for six to 12 months.
She told authorities that her husband started growing the mushrooms in the garage, but moved them into the house to keep them away from their children.
After obtaining a search warrant to seize the mushrooms, court papers say, 13 firearms belonging to Wenkheimer were confiscated.
The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, while the gross misdemeanor charge has a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $3,000 fine.
Wenkheimer’s next court appearance is an omnibus hearing scheduled on Dec. 16 before Judge Troy Timmerman.