IRON COUNTY, Utah — An Iron County man is facing more than a dozen charges after police say they found a secret lab in his home where he allegedly grew psilocybin mushrooms. Matthew Joseph Metcalf, 45, was arrested on Wednesday.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 13 News, over the past several months, agents with the Iron Garfield Beaver Narcotics Task Force were investigating a firearms case. During that investigation, they say they were able to seize a phone and obtain a warrant to search its content.
When searching the phone, agents were able to identify a Metcalf in text messages arranging the distribution of mushrooms. In those messages, police say he sent multiple photos of the psilocybin mushrooms, including one that weighed almost a pound.
Detectives were also able to speak with confidential informants who admitted that Metcalf had been supplying their dealers with mushrooms they were purchasing. According to the informants, Metcalf had been supplying the drugs for several years.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for Metcalf's home and say inside the basement, they found a small clandestine laboratory where psilocybin mushrooms were being grown.
In a shed on the property, detectives say they found 10 rifles and a pistol. Police say the shed had been made into a bedroom for Metcalf's brother to live in and had the firearms unsecured.
Two children under the age of ten were found sleeping in a bedroom next to the lab where mushrooms were being grown.
Matthew Joseph Metcalf faces charges of endangerment of a child, prohibited dangerous weapon conduct, distribution of a controlled substance, and operation of a clandestine laboratory. He is being held without bail.
