Three of his daughter’s friends had a sleepover last year, and an Oregon man put sedatives in their smoothies. On Monday, he pleaded guilty to multiple felonies and was sentenced to two years in prison, according to court papers and the lawyers who oversaw the case.
Michael Meyden, 57, of Lake Oswego, accepted guilt in Clackamas County Circuit Court on three counts of giving someone prescription drugs, according to prosecutors and one of his lawyers, Jeff Turnoy.
There was a comment from Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth on Tuesday saying that Meyden should spend some time in jail.
“Mr. Meyden’s actions are inexcusable and reckless and required a punishment commensurate with the crime,” he stated. “The impact this event has had on the child victims, their families, and our community has been enormous.”
Take five months off of your sentence if you’re good, Turnoy said on Tuesday. Authorities say the term was part of a deal they made with prosecutors that got rid of three more felony counts and three misdemeanor counts.
Prosecutors said that Meyden also got three years of supervision after he got out of jail. They also said that the dropped charges would not lead to a longer sentence.
Monday, Meyden’s victims and their families were in court, according to Turnoy. He also said that his client was very sorry and crying.
Turnoy said, “Mr. Meyden is deeply sorry for his actions and choices and feels very humbled by them.” “He correctly understands that he hurt many people and is deeply sorry for that.” Because he was truly sorry for what he did in court, his behavior showed that he was sincere in his attempts to change.
Court records and a probable cause statement say that Meyden gave drugs to three of his daughter’s friends while they slept over on the night of August 25.
The girls, who were all 12 years old last year, were taken to the hospital and tested positive for benzodiazepines. According to the affidavit, benzodiazepines are commonly given drugs for anxiety and are known by the brand names Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin. The statement said that benzodiazepines are depressants that make people sleepy, sedative, and calm.
There was also a drug test for Meyden’s daughter, but he wasn’t charged with giving her drugs, according to Turnoy.
The affidavit didn’t say why Meyden put sedatives in the smoothies, but Turnoy says that Meyden told the judge this week that “he was trying to get the girls to sleep and not sneak out of the house so that they could do the things that the family had planned for the next day.”
The affidavit says that Meyden was very active with the girls’ activities the night of the sleepover. He took them to get their nails done and picked up pizza for dinner.
The statement said that the girls spent most of their time in the basement, having a “spa night.”
She made shakes for the four girls before they went to bed. He served his daughter and the other girls two smoothies each in glasses that looked like milkshake glasses, the statement said.
“Mr. Meyden gave each girl a different colored reusable straw to help them tell their drink apart.” It said in the statement that Mr. Meyden was adamant that the girls drink from their own cups.
Two girls drank two cups, one girl drank one cup, and the third girl said she didn’t like the drinks and drank almost none of them. The affidavit said it wasn’t clear how many smoothies Meyden’s daughter drank, but one girl told cops it seemed like a lot.
A girl who told cops she drank two smoothies said she felt dizzy, hot, and unsteady soon after finishing the second one. The statement said she said she “blacked out” and fell into a “thick, deep sleep” that she had never felt before.
The affidavit says that two girls slept on a pullout couch in the basement and two other girls slept in a downstairs bedroom. The third girl said that Meyden came downstairs more than once, but she didn’t drink much of the shake. The girl said Meyden tried to physically remove her from another girl while they were sleeping next to each other, the document said.
The third girl pulled closer to Meyden because she was afraid for her friend who had been sleeping heavily after Meyden went back upstairs, the statement said.
He came back a second time and tried to keep the girls from talking to each other. The affidavit says that he also put his finger under the girl’s nose while she claimed to be sleeping.
The girl called and texted her parents and friends over and over again to get picked up.
“Mom, please pick me up and tell her I had to handle a family matter.” It doesn’t feel safe to me. The statement says that one of the texts said, “Please come get me; I might not answer.” “Please.” Pick up the phone. Please. “PLEASE!!”
There was a family friend the girl could call. They picked her up and took her home. The two parents finally went to Meyden’s house to get the other two girls, the statement said.
Source: NBC News
