An Oregon man who spiked the smoothies of three of his daughter’s friends with sedatives last year during a sleepover, pleaded guilty Monday to multiple felonies and was sentenced to two years in prison, according to court documents and attorneys who oversaw the case.
Michael Meyden, 57, of Lake Oswego, admitted guilt in three counts of causing another person to ingest a controlled substance in Clackamas County Circuit Court, according to prosecutors and one of Meyden’s attorneys, Jeff Turnoy.
Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth said in a Tuesday statement Meyden deserved time behind bars.
“Mr. Meyden’s actions are inexcusable and reckless and required a punishment commensurate with the crime,” he said. “The impact this event has had on the child victims, their families, and our community has been enormous.”
Turnoy said on Tuesday, his client could get five months lobbed off his sentence with good behavior. The sentence was part of a negotiated deal with prosecutors that included dismissals of three additional felonies and three misdemeanors charges, authorities said.
Meyden also received three years of post-prison supervision, prosecutors said, adding that the charges that were dropped would not lead to an extended sentence.
Meyden’s victims and their relatives were in court Monday, Turnoy said, noting his client was tearfully apologetic.
“Mr. Meyden is incredibly remorseful and humbled by his conduct and choices,” Turnoy said. “He understands appropriately that he hurt a lot of people and is very regretful of all that. And his demeanor in court was authentic and genuine, showed nothing but sincerity in being apologetic and remorseful for his behavior.”
Meyden drugged three of his daughter’s friends while they slept over on the night of Aug. 25, 2023, according to court documents and a probable cause affidavit.
The girls, all 12 years old last year, were hospitalized and tested positive for benzodiazepine, described in the affidavit as a drug generally prescribed for anxiety, with common prescriptions under the names Valium, Xanax and Klonopin. Benzodiazepines are a depressant that produces sedation, sleepiness and a relaxed mood, the affidavit said.
Turnoy said that Meyden’s daughter also tested positive for drugs, but he was not charged with drugging her.
Although the affidavit did not specify why Meyden laced the smoothies with sedatives, Meyden said in court this week, according to Turnoy, “That he was attempting to have the girls go to sleep and not sneak out of the house so that they would engage in the activities that the family had planned the next day.”
The night of the sleepover, Meyden was highly involved in the girls’ activities, and took them to get their nails done and picked up pizza for dinner, according to the affidavit.
The girls spent most of their time in the basement, where they were having a “spa night,” the affidavit said.
Before the four girls went to bed, Meyden made them smoothies. The girls, including Meyden’s daughter, were all served two smoothies each in milkshake-style glasses, the affidavit said.
“Mr. Meyden specifically gave each of the girls specific colored reusable straws to distinguish their own drink. Mr. Meyden was adamant that the girls drink out of their own cups,” the affidavit said.
One girl drank two cups, and another girl drank one cup and a third said she did not like the smoothies and barely drank any at all. It was unclear how many smoothies Meyden’s daughter drank, but one girl told police it appeared to be a significant amount, the affidavit said.
A girl who told police she drank two smoothies said she began to feel woozy, hot and clumsy shortly after finishing the second smoothie. She said she “blacked out” and slipped into a “thick, deep sleep” she never experienced before, the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, two girls slept on a pullout couch in the basement, while two others slept in a bedroom in the basement. The third girl, who didn’t drink much of the smoothie, reported that Meyden came downstairs more than once. She had been sleeping close to another girl and said Meyden tried to physically separate the two, the document stated.
After Meyden went back upstairs, the third girl, scared for her friend who had been sleeping heavily, again pulled close to her, the affidavit said.
Meyden returned a second time and again tried to separate the girls from each other. He also put his finger underneath the nose of the girl who pretended to be sleeping, according to the affidavit.
The girl frantically began calling and texting her parents and friends to pick her up.
“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,” one of the texts said, according to the affidavit. “Please. Please pick up. Please. PLEASE!!”
The girl was able to reach a family friend, who picked her up and took her to her home. Eventually two parents went to Meyden’s home to get the other two girls, the affidavit said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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