OKEECHOBEE — A local man was arrested Thursday after he was accused of giving two young teens mushroom tea. Shawn Matthew Pyper, 47, Southwest 32nd Avenue has been accused of having two runaway girls, ages 13 and 14, go into a cow pasture near Pyper’s home to collect mushrooms after a recent rain.

According to information released by the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, Pyper then made tea from the mushrooms, mixing it with fruit-flavored Kool-Aid. The two girls spent most of the night consuming the hallucinogenic drug, and the drugs began to affect them, causing them to become more and more ill as time went on. One of the girls blacked out and fell on the floor, causing facial injuries and bleeding, but Pyper reportedly refused to help the girls, because he was in fear of being arrested. One of the girls fled to a neighboring home to seek help which started the investigation that culminated in the arrest of Pyper on July 8.

Pyper faces charges of manufacturing a dangerous drug, delivery of dangerous drug to juveniles, interference of child custody and felony child abuse. Detectives have placed Pyper, in the Okeechobee County Jail and bond was set at $550,000.

According to Drug.com, Magic Mushroom tea is made from certain types of dried or fresh hallucinogenic mushrooms found in Mexico, South America and the southern and northwest regions of the United States. The compounds in these mushrooms have similar structure to lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and are abused for their hallucinogenic and euphoric effects to produce a “trip.” Hallucinogenic (psychedelic) effects are probably due to action on central nervous system serotonin (5-HT) receptors.

Pyper has a long history with the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, dating back to 1993 when he was convicted on charges of trespass, battery, criminal mischief and stalking. He was placed on probation for one year.

Pyper was arrested in August 2018 after several residents of the Gracious RV Park on U.S. 441 Southeast called 911 to report a battery. According to the arrest report, a woman, who lived in the park, saw a man, later identified as Pyper, lying on the ground in front of someone’s trailer. She went outside to see if he was OK, but noticed right away that he was either intoxicated or on some type of drug. When she approached him, he stood up and began cursing and yelling at her.

When a second neighbor heard the language, she went over to see what was happening and Pyper reportedly shoved both women. Both women said Pyper kept pulling his pants down to expose himself to them. A third woman heard the commotion, saw her friends being attacked and rushed out to help, only to have Pyper shove her too, the report continues. Another neighbor, a male, ran over and told Pyper not to put his hands on a woman, and Pyper allegedly hit him in the face. This neighbor hit Pyper back and he and another man were able to hold Pyper on the ground until deputies arrived.

Pyper was charged with three counts battery, one count battery on a person over the age of 65, four counts exposure of sexual organs and four counts disorderly intoxication. In the end, he was not prosecuted for any of the charges.

Most recently, Pyper was charged with child abuse by intentionally inflicting mental or physical injury and resisting arrest without violence. Pyper is accused of biting a child’s hand and then running off down the street. The child abuse charge was later reduced to battery and is making its way through the court system.