An Oregon man who drugged his daughter and her friends with fruit smoothies laced with a sleeping medication after they didn’t go to bed during a sleepover was sentenced to two years in prison.
Michael Meyden, a 57-year-old from the Portland suburb of Lake Oswego, apologized during his sentencing Monday after pleading guilty to three felony counts of causing another person to ingest a controlled substance, The Oregonian reported.
“My whole life is destroyed,” he told the court. “Everything that was important to me up until that point is gone.”
Every parent has had this thought at some point. I’ve even joked about it with other parents, but I never thought in a million years anyone would actually do it. I’ll admit to buying too much pizza and hoping the kids knock off early, but serving up benzo smoothies to 12-year-olds is fucking insane. He deserves what he gets, and should not be allowed near children without a lot of mandated therapy.
This was an attempted rape that didn’t get far enough for the courts to ‘prove’ it, but the girls report him trying to separate them after they were drugged. He wasn’t just trying to get them to quiet down.
Sometime between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., Meyden prepared the smoothies “and insisted they drink them,” the girls told police. The drinks had “tiny white chunks throughout and sprinkled on top,” the affidavit says.
One of the girls said she didn’t like smoothies and declined to drink hers, but Meyden insisted, even making a second one for her to try, Palmeri wrote.
wtf
He also moved one girl’s arm and moved her body on the bed, the affidavit says. The girl “remained awake in fear that Mr. Meyden was going to do something” to her friend, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit says Meyden walked out of the room, prompting a girl to text her mother at 1:43 a.m. Sunday: “Mom please pick me up and say I had a family emergency. I don’t feel safe. I might not respond but please come get me (crying emoji), Please. Please pick up. Please. PLEASE!!”
WTF
The affidavit says Meyden walked out of the room, prompting a girl to text her mother at 1:43 a.m. Sunday: “Mom please pick me up and say I had a family emergency. I don’t feel safe. I might not respond but please come get me (crying emoji), Please. Please pick up. Please. PLEASE!!”
Every parents nightmare is to get a message like this.
Everyone is making jokes in the comments.
But Fuck. This. Guy.
Yeah that message would haunt me for life.
The fact that he was repeatedly moving them away from each other while checking that they were still asleep, plus finally returned drunk??
“They were staying up too late and I wanted to go to bed” my ASS
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Sorry I don’t give the benefit of the doubt to the man drugging girls in his home. What is he moving them for?
Could easily be a “Oh shit! What have I done? Need to check vitals.” situation.
I think what he did was wrong too. But over here we have that pesky innocent until proven guilty thing and I’m not wasting mental load on a hypothetical “What if?” dredged up by an internet stranger.
Just pointing out rape was not mentioned whatsoever in either article nor a charge in court, as that would certainly be reported. You made that up.
Re-arranging kids on the bed, I do that with my own children all the time. Kids are weird, I find them in the strangest orientations that very frequently leave parts of them hanging out of the bed or in danger of falling out entirely. I usually re-arrange them and tuck them in properly before I go to sleep every night. They’re all double digit ages, so this isn’t just a toddler thing or something. At a sleepover, if I found kids falling out of bed or in danger of smothering each other or something I’d absolutely just re-arrange them.
The drugging part, totally insane though.
Did you read the article how he did it? He was explicitly testing them to see if they were waking up from the movement or not in the most cartoonish ways possible.
The way you rationalize things is how children gets raped.
These weren’t his kids, and he wasn’t tucking them in, he was checking their breathing to see if the drugs worked.
Sad.
I rearrange my own kids when they don’t get all the way back into bed after using the bathroom. There’s no way I’m touching someone else’s kids if they’re sleeping at our house.
I love how you’re getting down voted for a completely sane and logical take.
How completely sane and logical to think this man just drugged an entire group of children at a sleepover because he wanted to get some sleep.
You think it’s sane to touch 12 year olds without their permission?
Sanity? On the INTERNET!? No! Scoop out your brain and light your pitchfork! Reeeee!
Linked elsewhere, but maybe you haven’t read the comments here.
The affidavit says Meyden walked out of the room, prompting a girl to text her mother at 1:43 a.m. Sunday: “Mom please pick me up and say I had a family emergency. I don’t feel safe. I might not respond but please come get me (crying emoji), Please. Please pick up. Please. PLEASE!!”
Literally speculation?
You don’t wanna call it until you literally see him inside this 12yo or something?
I admit to giving my son melatonin as he went to bed. He had a hell of a lot of trouble staying asleep and after reading some research it seemed that he might be lacking that particular drug to help his brain stay asleep. This after his doctor came very close to killing him with overprescribing Abilify, to the point that the other psychiatrists called in to consult on his case were shocked at the dosage levels. He spent a week in the ICU on the edge of death. I should have not been satisfied with that doctor getting his license revoked, and instead pursued criminal charges, but alas, he’s dead now. Not my son, the doctor. My son is flourishing.
that was a rollercoaster and a half
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You know, after the last 20 years of having this name I should be used to it, but I have not ever tried cocaine or crack.
Not with that attitude!
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benzo smoothies
Band name.
Nope. That’s psycho shit
Psychos act on those dangerous or impulsive thoughts. Having the thought is human. Talking about it is healthy.
Speak for yourself… I have never had the thought of drugging my kid so they sleep early
For starters, the entire point of a sleepover as a kid is to stay up late, chat, eat garbage food and watch tv/video games or whatever. I have never heard of anyone wanting a sleep over so they can go to bed early in someone else’s home.
I don’t even get what the deal is with people and strict bed times; let alone during a sleepover. If you don’t want your kid to go to bed late, tell them they cannot have a sleepover.
Why is this guy whining about his life being ruined? The courts might not be able to prove he was going to rape any children but that little girl texting for help could tell what he was planning.
What he did was at a minimum enough to form some seriously fucked up core memories that stay with them for life. Imagine trying to trust anyone outside of your family ever again after getting drugged by your friend’s dad.
Sobbing about his life being upset, fuck’s sake.
Why benzos? I feel like he would have not raised suspicion or gotten in the same trouble if he’d just let the girls eat some melatonin gummies or something. Wouldn’t even need to be sketchy about it.
So “drug them”, just not as hard?
C’mon man, these are kids. They’re not even all his kids. It’s a sleepover. They stay up late or even to the wee hours of the morning and make noise, watch movies, whatever. That’s what you do as a kid on a sleepover. Giving them any substance to try to make them sleep is a ridiculous idea on multiple levels.
Read the entire events. I don’t believe it was about sleep.
If it was just about sleep he wouldn’t be facing any serious time. This was attempted rape.
Could you point out where it says that? I’m not trying to defend this guy in any way shape or form, but I’m not into hysteria and making things up, either. Even the most sensational report only offered the opinion that you don’t touch kids unless you have bad intent. And that’s an opinion, not a statement of the perp’s actual intent. Dude f’d up bad, but it doesn’t mean he’s instantly a molester.
It’s literally in the article. One of the girls talked about him separating them and checking how out they were. It didn’t elevate to actual rape because they got help.
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Melatonin gummies? Those count as “drugs”? I thought they were considered supplements like vitamins and stuff.
You can’t give people unexpected things in their food. I think in your hypothetical case intent is the issue. The intent is to give a substance to a person in order to have an effect on that person who is unaware of it, and if that person can claim harm, you’re in deep shit.
It’s no different than putting a natural laxative or 6 million scoville hot sauce in your lunch trying to trap an office lunch thief. None of them are drugs, and in that (hypothetical) situation one would think the bastard deserves it, but legally you’d lose if they reported harm from it because you knew it was possibly going to be stolen and the intent was to have negative effect on the thief. The only grey area would be if you said you like the food spicy, but two edged sword - the judge could make you eat it to prove it.
Anyway, off on a tangent, there. Point is if you adulterate food with the intent to have an effect on someone unaware of the change to the food chances are you’re toast if they say it harmed them. In the article the guy did it to kids, kids that weren’t his, and that’s fucked up.
why benzos
Fuck those comments man… I have a daughter and she is fond of sleepovers… if I ever get a text from her asking for help, I would show up in that house like the Kool-aid man from hell
He didn’t have any rufies.
He made his bed and now he gets to sleep in it.
Two years is not enough for attempted rape.
There’s no evidence of attempted rape right?
The 2 years was specifically for drugging kids so they would go to sleep because there was no evidence of anything like sexual assault.
An article was linked in other comment threads, there was a clear start and an uncomfortable girl who texted her mom with absolute fear of being raped.
Something a lot more than moving them around may have happened if she didn’t send that text. So yes, no clear attempt at sexually assaulting the girls, but the amount of effort he went to… Doesn’t give me the feeling that this was only about a good night’s rest.
That said, I’d prefer the girls safe over him getting more time in prison any day of the week.
100% the guy is an irresponsible creep with terrible judgment and should never be allowed around a kid again.
But as far as any evidence and testimony provides, that’s as far as it goes and we do not need inaccurate, alarmist commentary to emphasize how wrong what he actually did was.
If someone punches somebody else, and then a third party screams about how that bastard murderer killed a guy, then it turns out he didn’t kill anyone, it ultimately discredits the actual story.
I agree. I wouldnt go so far as saying it was off the table as a possibility, but I wouldn’t call it attempted rape.
I don’t know what the minimums and maximums are for his actual crime, but I do hope the testimony of what happened was factored into the decision.
If I slipped benzos to someone at a bar, what do you think the charges would be?
The fact of the matter is, in a situation like this you can’t get closer to attempted rape without a literal attempt.
Assault. What do you think the charges would be?
“The fact[you’re using this word incorrectly] is, you can’t get closer to attempted rape without a literal attempt”.
You obviously could get much, much closer to attempted rape.
Separation of victims. Hiding their clothes. No phones, locked doors, invitations, solicitations, there are uncountable horrific ways to get closer to a rape attempt.
Downplaying his actual crime is the main problem with you crying wolf. This was a horrible, irresponsible and creepy thing for this guy to do, and because you’re pretending something else happened that there is no evidence or testimony for, you’re trivializing what he actually did in order to fearmonger about what he could have done.
If someone kicks you in the street and you accuse them of murder, all you’re doing is minimizing their actual crime to get more attention for yourself.
Wait… did we read the same article?
Smoothies don’t take long to make, but in terms of giving him a chance to think twice, it’s an eternity. What an unbelievably reckless decision.
“My whole life is destroyed,” he told the court. “Everything that was important to me up until that point is gone.”
Welcome to the consequences of your own actions, dumbass.
Of course it was Lake Oswego.
What’s that mean?
Lake O is the rich Portland suburb, and this is such a stupid rich white man crime.
That and West Linn next door
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Trail of tears says. Yes
It’s nicknamed “Lake No Negro” for a reason.
Locking this down.
Too many heated comments
Username checks out.
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Does it matter? There’s* not a single one that you should give to 12 year olds.
Especially someone else’s 12 year old!
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Just because it’s not specific doesn’t make it in accurate.
Ah yes, because it matters if it was diazapram versus alprazolam. The pharmacology is effectively identical… a headline stating “benzos were given to children” is a lot more clear than and obvious than “children given klonopin”
Yup, either of those would be much clearer than what is written
If benzodiazepine is in a drug it’d probably be a good idea not to give it to someone unless you’re a doctor writing a prescription then, yeah?
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I tell people I’ve taken an NSAID. I tell people I’m on an opiate. I tell people im on stimulants. People say “I take an SSRI” without being specific.
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Your point is that people do say they take classes of drugs?
No? My point is they do not say that?
You’ve seriously never heard someone say “benzos” before or you’re trolling?
Yes they do. Never heard of the opiate crisis? And Benzodiazepine is the combination of 2 chemicals which make the ingredients for the class of drugs you’re referring to.
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Care to elaborate on exactly what you mean with the last bit, about them smoking pot by 14. I’m curious.
Oh no, worse? How bad are we talking?
Are they gonna form a punk rock band too?
Maybe they’ll be gasp dancing?
I sure hope they don’t try to go to college!
No? No elaboration? Afraid to say the quiet parts? Ok I’ll say them for you.
This line of thinking is disgusting. You’re saying that because these girls will* partake in drugs and other “uncouth” behavior in the future, them getting it now isn’t a big deal.
Just in case anyone couldn’t read between the lines. If we’re going to be gross, let’s just cut the pretenses and just say it, eh?
*Nevermind that you know nothing about these kids now, let alone their futures.
I feel like dude can come back from this if he only did it cause he was fed up with their shit and wanted them to go to sleep. That’s just a really dumb mistake. The headline immediately makes you think rapey stuff might have gone on (or been the motive).
… because rapey stuff seemed to start happening and may have continued if one of the girls didn’t text someone?
dude was checking them for consciousness, something unnecessary if he only wanted them to sleep.
if he was checking them to ensure they were alive, then he deserves a serious ass prison sentence as well, because he then clearly understood how risky what he was doing was.
so … yeah, as far as I am concerned this guy seems like prison is the right answer.
Could go either way as he dosed preteen children with fucking benzos.
I figured it was something like melatonin and the punishment might have been excessive, but nope.
Intentions aside, that’s just really unsafe.
Although now I’m curious if was at least measuring out the dose for each drink, or just tossing some undissolved pills in the blender and hoping it distributes evenly.
Edit: Holy shit does that AP article leave out some details. This guy was definitely looking to abuse the kids
Yeah, sure looks like it:
Investigators saw the text the girl sent a family friend. The girl’s message said Meyden “kept moving us away from each other but kept doing tests to make sure we weren’t awake,” according to the affidavit. She texted that one of the girls “won’t wake up,” the filing states.
The court record says the girl saw Meyden return to the basement a third time and he “seemed drunk.”
The only reason we know about it is because one of the girls didn’t drink the drug laced smoothies. The others that did were “groggy or blacked out” through the next day.
No. Do not fucking downplay drugging children. You should delete your comment, it’s entirely unacceptable to drug your own children without their knowledge, let alone other children sleeping at your house. It’s not just a dumb mistake, holy shit do you have a bad take here.
It’s not just a bad take but a) dangerous and b) criminal. For any kids sake I hope that the commentor you replied to has no access to children.
It sounds like that was their argument at trial. But if you read the article, it tells you he did more than just drug them.
There is no good motive here.
