HIGHLAND, NY— A Yulan man has been arrested by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office for operating an illegal marijuana dispensary which also sold drugs in the Town of Highland. John T. Lomio, age 36, was charged with the class A-2 felonies of criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance as well as other charges related to the illegal sale of cannabis.

On Monday (7/31/23) Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at the suspect’s mobile office trailer known as “The Green Room” in the parking lot of the River’s Edge Restaurant and Motel located at the intersection of State Routes 97 and 55 in the hamlet of Barryville. Deputies also searched Lomio’s residence at 13 Beaver Brook Road in Yulan. Recovered from both locations were quantities of cannabis related products and psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms.  Psilocybin is a hallucinogen that produces effects similar to LSD.

The Town of Highland is one of the few towns in Sullivan County that allows marijuana dispensaries, as long as they are licensed. “Unfortunately, Mr. Lomio decided to ignore the law and just set up shop”, said Sheriff Mike Schifff. “There are legitimate people going through the process right now to get licensed in the Town of Highland”, said the Sheriff. John Lomio, who has a previous drug related conviction, was arraigned before Town of Highland Judge Anthony LaRuffa and remanded to the Sullivan County Jail without bail. He is due back in court August 9, 2023.The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, Lumberland Constables, the District Attorney’s Office and officials from the Town of Highland.

Town of Highland Supervisor Jeff Haas issued a statement following the arrest, reading:

“Thank you, Sheriff Schiff, Undersheriff Chaboty, the detectives and deputies who worked this case so diligently, and all of our law enforcement partners at the County, State, and Federal level who assisted in the successful mitigation of a threat to the public safety, health, and well-being in the Town of Highland.

“This effort started as an investigation into a Code Enforcement issue but became so much more. As Undersheriff Chaboty and Sheriff Schiff explained, the events of 8.1.2023 required precision coordination of resources; the culmination of an intensive investigation that was initiated by the Town of Highland and executed by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, with day of ops assistance from the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security, and the Town of Lumberland Constables.

“The Town of Highland is not the place for those who seek to commit quality of life crimes or pedal illicit and illegal substances to residents or visitors, and we will not tolerate criminal behavior here. We are a small, but mighty Town, and will not fall victim to those who seek to exploit our community.

“On behalf of the Town Board, and all of the residents of the Town of Highland who endeavor to live in a safe community, we are grateful that our law enforcement partners were able to act swiftly and bring this situation to resolution safely for all involved.”