PORTLAND, Maine — Portland police are investigating allegations from two women who say they were drugged Thursday at a bar in the Old Port.
Megan Southard, one of the women who was allegedly drugged, said the incident happened at Rathskeller on Wharf, but police did not confirm the location.
"I went from feeling totally sober to feeling like I'd drank more than I'd ever drank in my life all at once," Southard said.
Southard was out celebrating her 30th birthday when she said a couple of men approached her. She spoke with both men and said she believes one of them slipped a drug into her drink at some point during the conversations.
"You always think it won't happen to you until it does happen to you," she said.
She said she felt disoriented and eventually passed out in the bathroom. She said it was a feeling that didn't quite match the amount of alcohol she had that night: two drinks.
"I couldn't comprehend what was going on to why I was feeling the way I was feeling," Southard said.
Rathskeller On Wharf declined to comment on the incidents. The owner said the establishment has been cooperating with the police investigation, turning over the security camera footage from that night to police.
Down the street at $3 Dewey's, bartender Innes Jettinghoff said it's scary to think it could happen anywhere.
"I've seen it happen, not here, at another bar with a coworker of ours. [She was] completely fine and then the next minute, you know, passed out on the ground," he said.
He said while he's never seen an incident like that while on shift, he said when he's behind the bar he looks out for people the best he can because he feels somewhat responsible for them.
"I've had to call Ubers for people. I've called taxis, because it's just like, 'Man, you can't sit here anymore,'" Jettinghoff said.
Portland police are reminding people to keep an eye on their drinks and avoid accepting drinks from anyone you don't know. They say if you or someone you are out with suspect you may have been drugged, you should get medical help right away.
Portland police aren't yet releasing any more information about last week's incidents. However, you can report information anonymously to the department's crime tip line by calling 207-874-8584.