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.”

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[–] 121 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (30 children)

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.

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  • [+] 113 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (19 children)
  • [–] 152 points 2 years ago* (3 children)

    source

    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

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  • [–] 40 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 56 points 2 years ago (5 children)

    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.

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    [–] 31 points 2 years ago

    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.

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  • [–] 28 points 2 years ago* (11 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 54 points 2 years ago (7 children)

    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.

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    [–] 24 points 2 years ago

    He made his bed and now he gets to sleep in it.

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  • [–] 23 points 2 years ago (7 children)

    Two years is not enough for attempted rape.

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  • [–] 22 points 2 years ago (5 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 31 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    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.

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    [–] 22 points 2 years ago

    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.

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  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago

    “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.

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  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago (6 children)

    Of course it was Lake Oswego.

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