A young girl urgently contacted her mother to fetch her from a friend’s house after being drugged by the friend’s father during a sleepover. Michael Meyden spiked mango smoothies with Temazepam, a sleep aid, that he gave to his daughter and her friends. The girl who avoided drinking the spiked smoothie repeatedly reached out to her parents and family for help.
Desperate texts from the girl included pleas for her mother to come pick her up due to feeling unsafe and crying. After being rescued by a family friend, the girl’s parents retrieved the other two friends, who were taken to the hospital. Tests confirmed that the two girls had benzodiazepine in their system, with one reporting feeling woozy and falling into a deep sleep after consuming the smoothie.
One of the victims recounted the traumatic experience during Meyden’s sentencing, expressing the impact his actions had on her life. The court records revealed that Meyden and his ex-wife settled a civil lawsuit filed by one of the victims, although the settlement amount was undisclosed. Meyden had previously pleaded guilty to causing others to ingest a controlled substance and was sentenced to two years in prison.
The lawsuit, seeking $2.4 million for emotional distress, negligence, and battery, was filed in November 2024. Meyden’s sentencing took place in June 2024, with the judge imposing a two-year prison term.