Man who consumed mushrooms before driving sentenced in Nelson

A man's dangerous driving after consuming mushrooms prompted about 50 calls to 911 before he rammed an off-duty police officer's vehicle.

Man who consumed mushrooms before driving dangerously sentenced in Nelson, B.C. Aragon-Martinez had nearly 800 grams of psilocybin in his backpack, according to ruling A man whose dangerous driving after consuming mushrooms prompted about 50 calls to 911 before he rammed an off-duty police officer's vehicle has been sentenced in British Columbia. Jivat Aragon-Martinez of Alberta was given a conditional sentence of two years less a day by the B.C. Supreme Court last Friday after he previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving charges and drug possession. The ruling published on Monday says Aragon-Martinez drove at excessive speeds through Grand Forks and Nelson, B.C., in late August 2024.

It says Aragon-Martinez kept driving after hitting the off-duty officer's vehicle, his Honda's engine "smoking and steaming" with its hood flipped open and blocking the windshield. The ruling says Aragon-Martinez only came to a stop after hitting a rock face, and after he got out of the vehicle he struggled with police who arrested him. Aragon-Martinez had nearly 800 grams of psilocybin in his backpack, and was "either impaired by psilocybin or experiencing a mental health crisis related to his use."

The ruling says Aragon-Martinez, 49, was born in Mexico and became a Canadian citizen in 2014. He led a "pro-social life" before having financial troubles, which worsened during the pandemic because he refused to be vaccinated, becoming "effectively homeless" afterwards. The ruling says he was at the 2022 Coutts border truck blockade for 75 days, and was able to find work as a welder after leaving, but his "housing situation remained precarious."

The court ruling says his mental health diagnosis is unclear apart from "substance-induced psychotic disorder," and the judge said it was concerning that he'd "repeatedly" refused antipsychotic medication. Aragon-Martinez also amassed a criminal record after his release, including assault with a weapon, uttering threats, mischief and breaching his release order. "Aragon-Martinez has been experiencing mental health breakdowns which have caused him to be in conflict with the law," the ruling says.

"He wants another chance to prove to his children that he is a good man." The judge imposed a number of conditions on Aragon-Martinez, including that he observe a curfew while living at a recovery house in Penticton, B.C.