VENTURA : Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing LSD

A man who was found with marijuana, LSD and laughing gas while camping at Emma Wood State Beach near Ventura last year pleaded guilty Friday to possession of LSD for sale.

But Ventura County Superior Court Judge Steven Z. Perren postponed sentencing until an appeals court decides whether investigators illegally searched defendant Bruce Throckmorton’s tent and car.

Throckmorton was camping at the state park July 7 when a ranger and deputy sheriff approached his tent to see if the music was too loud, according to court records.

The flap of the tent was open, the ranger and deputy testified, and when they looked inside they saw Throckmorton hurriedly conceal some marijuana.

They also said they saw a tank of nitrous oxide, sometimes called laughing gas, in his car. The deputy and ranger obtained Throckmorton’s car keys, searched the car and found more marijuana, as well as 321 doses of LSD concealed in a deodorant can, Deputy Dist. Atty. Nancy L. Ayers said. When Throckmorton was booked into Ventura County Jail, another 20 doses of LSD were found in his wallet, investigators said.

Throckmorton’s attorney, Caton John Machamer, argued that the ranger and deputy had no legal right to be in his campsite, and said Throckmorton had a reasonable expectation of privacy in his tent.

But Perren said campers often cross each other’s campsites and he doubted that Throckmorton could reasonably expect privacy under such circumstances.

The nitrous oxide tank in the car was in plain view, the judge said. The officers had probable cause to suspect a crime and to search the car, which resulted in the discovery of the LSD, he said.

Throckmorton remains free on $20,000 bail pending the appeal.