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.”

  • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    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.

    • Crackhappy@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      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.

      • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Psychos act on those dangerous or impulsive thoughts. Having the thought is human. Talking about it is healthy.

    • exanime@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Speak for yourself… I have never had the thought of drugging my kid so they sleep early

      For starters, the entire point of a sleepover as a kid is to stay up late, chat, eat garbage food and watch tv/video games or whatever. I have never heard of anyone wanting a sleep over so they can go to bed early in someone else’s home.

      I don’t even get what the deal is with people and strict bed times; let alone during a sleepover. If you don’t want your kid to go to bed late, tell them they cannot have a sleepover.

  • barsquid@lemmy.world
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    6 months 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.

  • phoneymouse@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    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.

    • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      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.

        • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Could you point out where it says that? I’m not trying to defend this guy in any way shape or form, but I’m not into hysteria and making things up, either. Even the most sensational report only offered the opinion that you don’t touch kids unless you have bad intent. And that’s an opinion, not a statement of the perp’s actual intent. Dude f’d up bad, but it doesn’t mean he’s instantly a molester.

      • sparkle@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        Melatonin gummies? Those count as “drugs”? I thought they were considered supplements like vitamins and stuff.

        • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          You can’t give people unexpected things in their food. I think in your hypothetical case intent is the issue. The intent is to give a substance to a person in order to have an effect on that person who is unaware of it, and if that person can claim harm, you’re in deep shit.

          It’s no different than putting a natural laxative or 6 million scoville hot sauce in your lunch trying to trap an office lunch thief. None of them are drugs, and in that (hypothetical) situation one would think the bastard deserves it, but legally you’d lose if they reported harm from it because you knew it was possibly going to be stolen and the intent was to have negative effect on the thief. The only grey area would be if you said you like the food spicy, but two edged sword - the judge could make you eat it to prove it.

          Anyway, off on a tangent, there. Point is if you adulterate food with the intent to have an effect on someone unaware of the change to the food chances are you’re toast if they say it harmed them. In the article the guy did it to kids, kids that weren’t his, and that’s fucked up.

      • exanime@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Fuck those comments man… I have a daughter and she is fond of sleepovers… if I ever get a text from her asking for help, I would show up in that house like the Kool-aid man from hell

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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      6 months ago

      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.

    • can@sh.itjust.works
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      6 months ago

      Does it matter? There’s* not a single one that you should give to 12 year olds.

    • Lowpast@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Ah yes, because it matters if it was diazapram versus alprazolam. The pharmacology is effectively identical… a headline stating “benzos were given to children” is a lot more clear than and obvious than “children given klonopin”

    • zaph@sh.itjust.works
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      6 months ago

      If benzodiazepine is in a drug it’d probably be a good idea not to give it to someone unless you’re a doctor writing a prescription then, yeah?

        • Lowpast@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          I tell people I’ve taken an NSAID. I tell people I’m on an opiate. I tell people im on stimulants. People say “I take an SSRI” without being specific.

        • zaph@sh.itjust.works
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          6 months ago

          Yes they do. Never heard of the opiate crisis? And Benzodiazepine is the combination of 2 chemicals which make the ingredients for the class of drugs you’re referring to.

    • Ookami38@sh.itjust.works
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      6 months ago

      Care to elaborate on exactly what you mean with the last bit, about them smoking pot by 14. I’m curious.

    • Ookami38@sh.itjust.works
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      6 months ago

      No? No elaboration? Afraid to say the quiet parts? Ok I’ll say them for you.

      This line of thinking is disgusting. You’re saying that because these girls will* partake in drugs and other “uncouth” behavior in the future, them getting it now isn’t a big deal.

      Just in case anyone couldn’t read between the lines. If we’re going to be gross, let’s just cut the pretenses and just say it, eh?

      *Nevermind that you know nothing about these kids now, let alone their futures.

  • psycho_driver@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    I feel like dude can come back from this if he only did it cause he was fed up with their shit and wanted them to go to sleep. That’s just a really dumb mistake. The headline immediately makes you think rapey stuff might have gone on (or been the motive).

    • Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      No. Do not fucking downplay drugging children. You should delete your comment, it’s entirely unacceptable to drug your own children without their knowledge, let alone other children sleeping at your house. It’s not just a dumb mistake, holy shit do you have a bad take here.

      • VaultBoyNewVegas@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        It’s not just a bad take but a) dangerous and b) criminal. For any kids sake I hope that the commentor you replied to has no access to children.

    • catloaf@lemm.ee
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      6 months ago

      It sounds like that was their argument at trial. But if you read the article, it tells you he did more than just drug them.