Anyone with information urged to call police
By Barney Lerten, KTVZ.COM
Two women say their cocktails were drugged at a Redmond bar, knocking them out, and one tested positive for the "date rape" drug Ecstasy, the Redmond/Deschutes County Crime Unit reported Saturday. As detectives hunt for the culprit, they urged others with information or who may have been a victim to contact police right away.
Detectives with the joint Redmond Police/Deschutes County Sheriff's Office unit received anonymous information Thursday that an unknown suspect may have drugged the cocktails of two female patrons at Redmond's Fireside Bar/Grill, said sheriff's Sgt. Michael Espinoza.
Detectives said the women reported feeling extremely intoxicated and became unconscious after consuming the alcoholic beverage.
Street Crimes Unit detectives later learned one of the women tested positive for the common "date rape" drug Ecstasy, which can be put in a drink without detection.
The detectives are following up on leads on a possible suspect and motive, and also asking anyone who may have had similar incidents to report their experiences as soon as possible.
They are urged to call Redmond police at 504-3400 or the Redmond/Deschutes Street Crimes Unit at 504-3438. If a report is urgent in nature, call 911 immediately, they said.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/ecstasy.html), MDMA (3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a synthetic, psychoactive drug chemically similar to the stimulant methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline. Street names for MDMA include Ecstasy, Adam, XTC, hug, beans, and love drug. MDMA is an illegal drug that acts as both a stimulant and psychedelic, producing an energizing effect, as well as distortions in time and perception and enhanced enjoyment from tactile experiences.
MDMA exerts its primary effects in the brain on neurons that use the chemical serotonin to communicate with other neurons. The serotonin system plays an important role in regulating mood, aggression, sexual activity, sleep, and sensitivity to pain.
Research in animals indicates that MDMA is neurotoxic; whether or not this is also true in humans is currently an area of intense investigation. MDMA can also be dangerous to health and, on rare occasions, lethal.
