Kids find gummy packages on Ocean Beach porch

Two fathers in San Diego's Ocean Beach neighborhood reported finding psilocybin mushroom gummies in a bowl on a porch during Halloween trick-or-treating on Saturday night. The discovery prompted an immediate investigation by the San Diego Police Department into the origin of the packages and their contents.

Frank Cary and Cameron Hunter were walking with their children and other families when the kids approached a house. The children found a bowl of items that appeared to be standard candy. Cary stated that his two-year-old son picked up one package and began walking away with it. Cary noticed a giraffe illustration and text that looked melted on the wrapper. He then saw a dosage of five grams listed on the front. Upon flipping the package over, he read the words 'psilocybin mushrooms.'

The parents checked the trick-or-treat bags of their children and the other kids in the group. They returned to the house where the bowl remained outside. Hunter recorded a confrontation with a woman at the home using his cellphone. The parents subsequently contacted police to report the incident.

Shawn Barger, the homeowner at the residence, disputed the parents' account when reporters visited the house two days after the event. He stated that his wife was confused when strangers confronted her about the packages. Barger said his home rarely receives visitors, even on Halloween, due to its local reputation. He described the house as being viewed by neighbors as the witch house or the scary house.

Barger denied that the bowl or the gummies belonged to his household. He argued that the packages were too expensive for him to have purchased just to leave outside. He estimated the cost of the gummies at 20 dollars each, totaling approximately 300 dollars. He stated he did not have that amount of money to spend to make himself look bad.

The San Diego Police Department confirmed receiving a report on Halloween regarding a home potentially distributing drugs to children. Lieutenant Cesar Jimenez said investigators have not yet confirmed what the gummies contain. Testing is required before authorities can determine if a crime occurred or if anyone will face charges. Jimenez noted that the parents followed recommended procedures by accompanying their children, checking their haul, confronting the residents, and calling police.

Hunter said he would not have stopped at the house in retrospect but acknowledged the bowl looked like candy. Cary added that in their diverse community, a bowl of what looked like candy would be assumed to be open for children to take. The investigation remains active as officials work to identify the substance in the gummies and how they ended up on the porch.