Michael Meyden is accused of making the smoothies with benzodiazepine, a drug typically prescribed for anxiety, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Michael Meyden is accused of making the smoothies with benzodiazepine, a drug typically prescribed for anxiety, according to a probable cause affidavit.

An Oregon man accused of spiking smoothies with sedatives and giving them to his daughter’s pre-teen friends has been charged with multiple felonies, according to court documents.

Michael Meyden, 57, of Lake Oswego, allegedly 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 filed this week in Clackamas County.

The girls, all 12 years old, were hospitalized and tested positive for benzodiazepine, described in the affidavit as a drug typically 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.

    • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
      11610·
      9 months ago

      Not that actually doing it isn’t absolutely horrible but wait till you have children, at about 7yo they invite 8 of their friends in your house and it’s pouring outside.

      The idea of sedating them will eventually come in mind. Then obviously you’ll discard it.

      And come the moment of cleaning the mess they inevitably leave you’ll wonder if you should have done it.

      • Chainweasel@lemmy.worldEnglish
        414·
        9 months ago

        Yeah, there’s a big difference between using melatonin as a “sedative” so they don’t stay up all night and wreck the house, and using a powerful sedative to knock them out and abuse them.
        Granted, I am NOT advocating using melatonin on other people’s kids, especially without consent from the parents, but one of those scenarios is considerably more evil than the other.
        This guy gave the kids adult anxiety meds in smoothies, that makes this particular scenario much worse than a misguided attempt to make them go to bed early.

        • JoBo@feddit.uk
          45·
          9 months ago

          The motive here appears to be much more sinister. If you haven’t read the article in full…

          After Meyden went back upstairs, the third girl, frightened 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 “as if to see if she was soundly asleep, he then waved his hand in front of her face,” she told police, according to the affidavit.

          Meyden then went outside through a sliding glass door and the girl frantically began calling and texting her parents and friends to pick her up.

        • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
          33·
          9 months ago

          Giving any psychoactive substance to anyone and especially kids without a specific prescription from a licensed practician is absolutely insane.

          Beside recreational drugs when an adult wishes to obviously.

      • tsonfeir@lemm.ee
        116·
        9 months ago

        He could have just used melatonin if regular sleepiness was his goal.

        • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
          261·
          9 months ago

          In my view that’s not much better. Still not acceptable to medicate minors without parental approval and medical supervision. You never know for sure who’s allergic to what. Not your kid stay the fuck away.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
        76·
        9 months ago

        Then obviously you’ll discard it.

        Apparently, since the article didn’t bring up any sort of sex crimes, he did not discard it.

        Where did he get the Benzos from?

        • Herbal Gamer@sh.itjust.works
          42·
          9 months ago

          According to the affidavit, two girls slept on a pull-out 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, frightened 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 “as if to see if she was soundly asleep, he then waved his hand in front of her face,” she told police, according to the affidavit.

          I’m not sure but it does sound fishy as fuck.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
            62·
            9 months ago

            I don’t disagree. But you’d think the article would be more explicit if he was suspected of sexually assaulting the girls.

            • xantoxis@lemmy.world
              292·
              9 months ago

              The parents showed up before he could. Also, one of the girls wasn’t affected as much and was able to run defense.

              He was trying to sexually assault them. There’s no question here.

              • Llewellyn@lemm.ee
                25·
                9 months ago

                He has something fishy in mind - that’s for certain.

                But how can you say “there’s no question” about whether he wanted to sexually assault them?

                Maybe he wanted to kill them or something.

            • aStonedSanta@lemm.ee
              131·
              9 months ago

              Might just be written with context they were given and not insinuation. Which is good. But yeah. It seems he was trying to be a predator here from the context.

            • TheHarpyEagle@lemmy.world
              12·
              9 months ago

              They can’t say for sure because, thank goodness, it didn’t happen. But there are very few good explanations for heavily drugging children and attempting to physically move them.

            • Notyou@sopuli.xyz
              2·
              9 months ago

              Some news places wouldn’t want to assume and put it in writing since that might “taint a jury pool” of they read about it before trial. Or a libel suit if the news places was wrong in their assumption.

              I believe that sexual assault/rape was 100% his goal, but I’m not a new organization.

        • dankm@lemmy.ca
          14·
          9 months ago

          One of the girls didn’t have any smoothie. She said he came downstairs multiple times to check if they were asleep.

          Sounds fishy.

        • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
          71·
          9 months ago

          The article doesn’t mention that either but I read often that benzos are really common in the states, so likely a prescription.