Waiter Foils Fiend From Administering Date Rape Drug

Waiter Foils Fiend From Administering Date Rape Drug
2008-02-19 3:04pm PT  


A story that should serve as a warning to older women, that the specter of date-rape drugs not only happens to their younger counterparts, but to women of all ages.


A sharp-eyed waiter turned hero after he saw a patron slip a pill into his date's drink back on Jan. 3rd at a Colorado Springs restaurant, Ruby Tuesday's.

The waiter called the cops after he removed the drink from the table. The authorities arrested Robert Lawrence Psaty, 56, after tests revealed the pill contained Diazepam.

Diazepam is in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines which are used to treat anxiety disorders, muscle spasms and certain types of seizures.

According to the Denver Post, Psaty had met the woman at a dating service and the two were having dinner at the family restaurant, Ruby Tuesdays. It was at Ruby Tuesday's that a waiter saw Psaty slip some sort of pill into the woman's drink. The quick thinking waiter managed to take the drink and call the authorities who then had it tested. When the tests came back positive for diazepam, Psaty was arrested.

The 56-year-old Psaty is employed as a mental health technician at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo. Psaty worked the forensic unit which treats patients committed after being found 'not guilty' of a crime/crimes due to insanity.

A former city councilman, Psaty was charged in '93 with harassing a nurse at his former place of employment, the Centennial Correctional Facility. Psaty pled guilty and received a deferred sentence.

The preferred drug of choice of date rapers and others who slip substances into an unsuspecting victim's drink is Rohypnol. A very potent tranquilizer - sleeping pill similar to diazepam but whose effects are much stronger.

Within 10 minutes of ingesting the drug the victim may begin to feel dizzy and disoriented. Mixed with alcohol the effect is maximized, they'll begin to have difficulty speaking, feel hot or cold, nauseated, suffer a loss of inhibitions and then eventually pass out. The drug also has an amnesiac-type of effect, rendering the victim unable to recollect what had happened to them. Mixed with too much alcohol the combination can lead to respiratory distress and death.

The perfect drug for sexual assault or rape.

Younger women, especially those in college, have been warned of the dangers of date-rape drugs. The label, "date-rape" drug is misleading. Victims have been drugged by total strangers in bars and clubs.

The man recently arrested in Colorado Springs, Robert Lawrence Psaty, was a 56-year-old male, no word on the age of his alleged victim. This is should serve as a warning to women of all ages that the usage of date-rape drugs is not limited to younger offenders.

Kudos to the sharp-eyed waiter who took action.

By LBG

Source - K-State