Counterfeit drug charge dropped for festivalgoer

Charges have been dropped against a Pennsylvania man who was charged with dealing in “counterfeit” illegal drugs at the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival.

Willie D. Golden, 48, a diesel mechanic from Mount Union, Pa., was charged with representing an uncontrolled substance as the drug MDMA, or ecstasy. It’s not clear from court records exactly what the substance was, but it’s still a crime under Kansas law to pretend to be selling an illegal drug – even if it’s really baking soda or oregano.

Golden also had faced charges including possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. But Dist. Atty. Charles Branson’s office dropped the case in a court hearing Thursday, citing an unavailable witness as the reason.