Police: Taxi customer gave drug-laced candy to driver

A Colorado man who police say gave candy containing a hallucinogen to a taxi driver during a ride was arrested late Sunday in Des Plaines.

Michael B Weldon, 58, of Carbondale, Colorado, is charged with two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, police said.

Police were sent to the 2600 block of South Mannheim Road about 11:30 p.m. to assist a Des Plaines Fire Department ambulance crew, according to a news release.

The taxi driver told officers Weldon had offered him a piece of candy after being picked up at O’Hare International Airport. The driver started to feel sick after consuming the candy, police said, so he pulled over and called 911.

When police asked Weldon what he had given the driver, he produced a box with a label identifying the contents as psilocybin mushroom-infused chocolates, according to the news release.

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic drug. It is a controlled substance that has no government-approved uses.

A police report didn’t indicate if the driver -- a 71-year-old Bartlett man -- knew the candy was laced with drugs before he ate it, department spokesperson Matt Bowler said. The taxi driver was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

After police arrested Weldon, officers found a plastic bag containing capsules with a white powdery substance that later tested positive for ketamine, according to the release.

Weldon refused to speak with police about the situation, Bowler said.

While ketamine has legitimate medical uses as an anesthetic and is also used to treat pain, depression and other conditions, it is a controlled substance that can cause hallucinations, amnesia and other effects and has been tied to date rapes.

No other details were available about the case.

rlissau@dailyherald.com