A father has been accused of drugging his 12-year-old daughter’s friends' smoothies while they were over for a sleepover.
The Oregon dad had his daughter’s three mates round at his Lake Oswego home on August 26 of last year.
What you would expect to be a fun and enjoyable evening for the young girls took an unexpected and unfortunate turn.
57-year-old Michael Meyden has been accused of spiking the three girls with a drug in their smoothies.
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He turned himself into authorities last week but pleaded not guilty to the charges he faces, according to the Lake Oswego Police Department. The charges include causing another person to ingest a controlled substance.
According to court documents, Meyden is accused of lacing mango smoothies with benzodiazepine, a drug usually used to treat insomnia and panic attacks. He then allegedly served the drinks to his daughter’s friends.
Police have not publicly speculated on the potential motive.
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Meyden’s attorney, Mark Cogan, has said he had not seen evidence in the case.
“Mr. Meyden is presumed innocent and we hope that people will reserve judgment until all of the facts and circumstances are known,” Cogan said.
Police have also said that during the night the group of girls watched movies and Meyden prepared the smoothies and allegedly insisted that they drink them.
Authorities have alleged that the drinks had ‘tiny white chunks throughout and sprinkled on top’.
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Describing the impact the drink had, one of the girl told police she felt ‘woozy, hot and clumsy’ and after drinking the smoothie blacked out, falling into a ‘thick, deep sleep’.
Meyden is also accused of making repeated trips down to the basement where the girls slept and checking to see if they were asleep, at one point even waving his hand in front of one of the girl's faces to see if she was asleep.
One of the 12-year-old girls ended up texting her mother just before 2 am, pleading for her to come pick her up as she felt unsafe.
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She wrote: “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!!”
She then contacted a family friend who came to pick her up and alerted her parents, who were asleep.
UNILAD has contacted for Lake Oswego Police Department further comment.
Gerrard Kaonga