Think you were drugged? APD wants your story

Posted by adn_jomalley

Posted: November 17, 2009 - 11:22 am

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I'm still perplexed by the issues in yesterday's column about whether women are being drugged at bars. It's very hard to find solid evidence. Some women are pretty intoxicated from drinking at the point they say they have been drugged. And the motive, if not sexual assault, is unclear.

But the stories keep coming to me.

Yesterday I had three emails from women who said they were drugged recently at downtown bars. None of them were assaulted. Their ages spanned the gamut, and all of them said they had only had a few drinks. Here's one, from a 31-year-old woman:

I had a similar experience last weekend at Mad Myrna's of all places! Three beers during and after the 7 p.m. Rocky show, and then dizziness, confusions, vertigo. I had to get the bouncer to find my friends for me (which I don't remember). Apparently they took care of me all night at their house and my husband picked me up there the next morning.

And another:

I too was slipped the date rape drug at Platnum Jaxx on Nov 7th. I was with a group of friends, we were out celebrating my 45th b-day, a really nice guy at the bar bought me a drink, a little bit later he bought me another one, only this time he brought it to me ( that was my bad for taking it) the next thing I remember is waking up in my bed the next morning. My girlfriends tell me I went from buzzed to trashed and when they got me home I threw up for 2 hours before passing out. I remember NOTHING. I have never in my life Blacked out before. I really felt someone had slipped me something, but I kept thinking that would never happen to me, but now I know it did. I am afraid for the girls who get this drug that are left behind without a friend to have their back. I am forever grateful that my friends stayed by my side and made sure I got home safe. I was said :this would never happen to Me" Well it did and I have had my wake up call!!

There were many other emails from people who had a friend they thought had been drugged. This email from a bar patron who said he witnessed something was particularly haunting:

I personally observed a group of GIs conferr over and then pour a powder into the drink of a girl they had just met. ...I immediately reported to security at the bar. Security stopped the girl from consuming. She was scared silly! The perp was almost pissing his pants. His buddies were across the bar and I had to leave to protect my safety. The bar threw out the drink! They didn't want trouble!!! The perps were left to do it again! APD told me they didn't investigate those crimes. This was a setup for a gang "party" and she would never have recourse even if she could have remembered what happened. It was the most despicable thing to see a guy do to a girl.

There has been a lot of concern from readers that the police have not been responsive to women who have made complaints. I talked with Lt. Dave Parker at the Anchorage Police Department about that. It's hard to investigate an individual case when there is no solid evidence, like a drug test, he said. But APD still wants women's stories, he said. Parker volunteered to take them by email and forward them to the right places.

"If we see a trend,the we can clamp down and do some undercover work," he said.

If women feel they have been drugged, the most important thing to do is get tested, he said. That means giving a urine sample as soon as possible, he said. He also said that if they talk to a police officer, they should request that the officer make a report.

We also talked about possible drugs that could be involved. The date rape drug Rohypnol is not easy to come by, and has not been seen up here, he said. GHB, which tends to have a salty flavor, is easier to get or make. The easiest might be a class of perscription drugs called Benzodiazepines, a common one being the sedative Valium. Mixed with alcohol, they can have a similar effect, he said.

If you feel you have been drugged or have other information related to people being drugged at bars, email Parker:dparker@ci.anchorage.ak.us

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