LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. — An Oregon man is accused of drugging three of his daughter’s 12-year-old friends with sedative-laced smoothies during a sleepover last summer, court records show.
Michael Meyden, 57, of Lake Oswego, surrendered to authorities at the Clackamas County Jail on Feb. 27, The Oregonian reported. He was arraigned the following day on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including endangering the welfare of a minor and causing another person to ingest a controlled substance.
Meyden pleaded not guilty to the charges.
“Mr. Meyden is presumed innocent and we hope that people will reserve judgment until all of the facts and circumstances are known,” the suspect’s attorney, Mark Cogan, told The Oregonian.
Lake Oswego dad accused of drugging girls at sleepover https://t.co/pbbaxgo5MY
— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) February 29, 2024
According to police, Meyden’s daughters had three of her friends at his home in Lake Oswego for a sleepover on Aug. 25, 2023, KATU-TV reported. All four girls were 12 years old at the time, according to the television station.
A probable cause affidavit stated that Meyden allegedly put benzodiazepine into mango smoothies and served the drinks to his daughter’s friends, The Oregonian reported.
Benzodiazepine is a depressant that slows the nervous system, according to the U.S. Department of Drug Enforcement.
The affidavit does not explain a motive.
The girls told police that between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. PST, Meyden prepared the three visiting girls and his daughter smoothies that he “insisted” they drank, according to KATU.
According to the affidavit, the drinks had “tiny white chunks throughout and sprinkled on top.”
One of the girls allegedly told Meyden that she did not like smoothies and refused to drink hers, but Meyden insisted and even made the child another one, The Oregonian reported.
Documents state that Meyden made repeated visits to the basement where the girls slept, KPTV reported. One girl told police that at one point, Meyden allegedly held his finger under one girl’s nose, waving his hand in front of her face to see if she was asleep, according to The Oregonian.
One of the girls says she managed to stay awake and texted her mother at about 1:43 a.m. PST on Aug. 26, 2023, asking to be taken home, KPTV reported.
“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),” the text said, according to the affidavit. “Please. Please pick up. Please. PLEASE!!”
An adult the girl had also texted came to Meyden’s home to pick her up, and the child woke up her parents, who contacted the parents of the other two girls, The Oregonian reported.
Those parents went to Meyden’s home at about 3 a.m. PST to take their daughters home, according to the newspaper.
All three girls tested positive for benzodiazepine later that day, according to KPTV.
Court documents allege Meyden intentionally drugged the girls with the depressants, KATU reported.
The Oregonian reported that Meyden and his wife divorced late last year; neither of their two children are listed in the indictments against Michael Meyden. The couple lived in Lake Oswego at the time of the alleged incident; the suspect currently lives in Vancouver, Washington.
Meyden’s bail was set at $50,000, according to the newspaper.
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