An Oregon dad who drugged his daughter's friends during a sleepover may be released from prison early for good behavior.
Michael Meyden, 57, of Lake Oswego, pleaded guilty on Monday in Clackamas County Circuit Court to three counts of causing another person to ingest a controlled substance, according to prosecutors and one of his attorneys, Jeff Turnoy.
Turnoy told NBC News that his client could get five months reduced from his sentence on good behavior, as the sentence was part of a negotiated deal with prosecutors that included the dismissals of three additional felony counts and three misdemeanor counts.
Meyden is guilty of drugging three of his daughter's friends during a sleepover.
The girls, all 12 years old, were hospitalized and tested positive for benzodiazepine, described in the affidavit as a drug generally prescribed for anxiety with common prescriptions under the names Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin.
Turnoy explained to the court that Meyden "was attempting to have the girls go to sleep and not sneak out of the house so that they would engage in the activities that the family had planned the next day."
He had made each girl two smoothies shortly before they went to bed.
While one girl drank two cups and another drank one, the third girl didn't like the smoothies and barely drank any of it. She later rreported that Meyden came downstairs where they were sleeping and tried to physically separate the sleeping girls.
Scared for her friend, she pulled close to her when Meyden returned to attempt another try at separating them-- at one point even placing his finger underneath the nose of the girl who pretended to be sleeping.
One of the victims told police she began to feel woozy, hot and clumsy before blacking out and slipping into a "thick, deep sleep" she had never experienced before.
It was then that the third girl began frantically texting her parents and friends to pick her up.
"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," one of the texts said.
"Please. Please pick up. Please. PLEASE!!"
Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth said in a statement released on Tuesday that Meyden deserved time behind bars.
"Mr. Meyden's actions are inexcusable and reckless and required a punishment commensurate with the crime," he said.
Adding that "the impact this event has had on the child victims, their families, and our community has been enormous."
The victims and their relatives were all in court Monday, where Turnoy highlighted that his client was tearfully apologetic for his actions.
"Mr. Meyden is incredibly remorseful and humbled by his conduct and choices," he said.
"He understands appropriately that he hurt a lot of people and is very regretful of all that. And his demeanor in court was authentic and genuine; he showed nothing but sincerity in being apologetic and remorseful for his behavior."
In addition to his jail sentence, Meyden also received three years of post-prison supervision.
