Oregon dad accused of drugging daughter’s 12-year-old friends at sleepover
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An American man turned himself into police on Wednesday after authorities in Oregon accused him of drugging three 12-year-old girls at his daughter’s sleepover using mango smoothies laced with benzodiazepines.
Lake Oswego resident Michael Meyden, 57, allegedly laced the drinks with the sedative drugs while hosting a sleepover for his daughter on Aug. 26, 2023, according to local police.
Meyden was indicted on nine charges, including causing another to ingest a controlled substance and delivery of a controlled substance to a minor.
In a probable cause affidavit obtained by the local news outlet The Oregonian, officials at the Lake Oswego Police Department said they were called to Portland’s Randall Children’s Hospital the day after the sleepover when the three girls tested positive for benzodiazepines.
According to the government of Canada, benzodiazepines are a class of substances often used as sedatives and tranquilizers. They are commonly prescribed to aid sleep, seizure and anxiety disorders. Side effects of the medication can include dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, memory impairment and loss of coordination and balance.
Meyden’s lawyer, Mark Cogan, has maintained his client’s innocence.
“We hope that people will reserve judgment until all of the facts and circumstances are known,” Cogan told The Oregonian.
The girls told police Meyden was “very involved” in his daughter’s sleepover activities. The girls watched movies and had a “spa night” complete with facials in the basement of Meyden’s home. At one point in the evening, Meyden served his daughter’s friends smoothies that had “tiny white chunks throughout and sprinkled on
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