STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — A woman was arrested Wednesday after she admitted to giving candy laced with LSD to an unsuspecting man.

Tecara Carter, 22, of Steamboat Springs faces three felony charges, including unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, inducing consumption by fraud and second-degree assault, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Routt County Justice Center.

At around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Steamboat Springs Police Department officers responded to the report of a drug violation in the 700 block of Walton Pond Circle. Carter, who made the call, said she wanted to speak with them about an incident that occurred the previous night.

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According to the affidavit, Carter admitted to taking LSD, then inviting a male friend to her residence at around 1 a.m. While he was over, she gave him LSD without his knowledge.

“She told him it was her favorite candy and did not tell him that it was drugs,” the affidavit says.

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As she explained to officers, she thought it was a good idea at the time, but as she sobered up she realized what she did and felt guilty. She refused to identify the man during her interrogation with officers.

As police were in the area, a man approached them claiming to be the person Carter drugged.  

“He wanted to know what he was given,” the affidavit says.

Officers told him that Carter claimed the drug was LSD, though they have not confirmed this. The man, whose name is not being released, said he had taken candy from Carter and felt sick after eating it. His roommates also said he was hallucinating when he returned to his residence, according to the affidavit.

Commander Annette Dopplick with Steamboat Police said it is possible to lace almost anything with LSD, a powerful hallucinogenic that can cause hallucinations and, in adverse cases, delusions and paranoia.

“We’re talking about a very high-potency liquid that can be added and is generally indiscernible to someone,” Dopplick said.

Depending on the potency, she said ingesting the drug can result in a medical emergency, which is part of the reason Carter faces such serious charges.

“Being roofied or drugged without your knowledge is a particularly heinous crime because you are not aware of what you ingested,” Dopplick explained, referring to date rape drugs as well as other controlled substances.

In this case, Dopplick does not believe Carter had malicious intent in giving the man a drug without his knowledge.

“The intent was a form of impairment that she believed would be pleasurable for someone else,” she said.

With that in mind, she offered some advice to people if they suspect they have been drugged.  

As she advised, if someone feels unusually impaired — such as experiencing heavy intoxication after drinking just one beer — they should notify their friends, a bartender or police.

“In Colorado, internal possession is not a chargeable offense,” Dopplick said, meaning a person would not face criminal charges just because they had an illicit substance in their system.

“The focus is on well-being for that person,” she said.

Dopplick also recommends people keep an eye on their drinks when around people and to never ingest substances from someone they do not know. 

To reach Derek Maiolo, call 970-871-4247, email dmaiolo@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @derek_maiolo.