Jezebel
Colt Haugen, a 22-year-old student at the University of Colorado and waiter at Ruby Tuesday, was working at the restaurant last month when he saw a man pull a pill from his pocket and put it in his date's glass when the woman got up from the table. "I almost dropped the food I was holding. I couldn't believe what I was seeing," Haugen says. "I talked with the manager. I told her, I said, 'I saw this plain as day. And if we don't do something about this, something's going to happen to this woman.'" The police were called and when the drink was tested, it was found to contain Valium. Nancy McGrath, the woman at the table, was on a blind date and considers Haughen to be an "angel." "He saved my life," she says. As for her date, what would be an appropriate punishment? Because at the moment, he is free on bail. [The Early Show]
1:20 PM on Thu Feb 21 2008
By Dodai
11,067 views
187 comments
Comments
Go Buffs!
I'll have to visit Ruby Tuesday's when I'm home as a thank you.
This happened here in Colorado. They met through a dating service in Colorado Springs. They didn't even say internet dating service, just dating service. *shudders* Maybe I can date the waiter?
I bet she totally blowed him as a "thank you".
Good job! He also stated that he didn't consider himself a hero. I appreciated that. We all need advocates when we are in danger.
thats awful beyond words
Wow. Good for this guy. I can't help but think that most guys would ignore this. Am I too much of a cynic?
Some day we should create a Jezebel "Everyday hero men we love" list. This guy would be on it, along with that high school kid from yesterday. Well done sir!
aaaaaand my faith in humanity is restored.
for now.
Angelina can take the day off; my faith in humanity is restored. Will someone please send Angelina a pizza and tuck her in for a nap?
And he's cute. Very refreshing.
You go, Colt Haugen! More like him, please.
Appropriate punishment for the turd? What's the max sentence on attempted rape? And of course, publicise the hell out of his name. Put it on banners behind airplanes and shit.
That's funny, I can't step foot in a Ruby Tuesday's without a valium.
Who knew someone named after weapons and malt liquor could be such a hero?
@Scoregasm: No, I thought that too. Or maybe we're both just horrible cynics. But seriously, I feel like a lot of people, men and women, would ignore it and try to rationalize not taking action.
Free on Bail. Nothing will ever happen to this dude. If the parents from that girl on myspace are out hanging out and so are all the dudes that rape women in the military, i cant imagine that they will prosecute someone for putting valium in their drink.
sigh.
@Scoregasm: I don't think most guys would ignore it. But I have a suspicion there are some bartenders who see it happen and don't say anything.
I think any rapist, or even wannabe rapists like this guy, should all be flown to an island so they can rape each other.
Thank you lordy Jeebus. I hope she tipped well. (Ok, I'm going to hell)
@kataroo_kangaroo: I suspect there will be a line.
@Scoregasm: No, but I don't think it's specific to men. People tend to ignore shit when they don't want to stir the pot (like seeing a child slapped in public or hearing a neighbor screaming).
Cut it off.
This just reinforces my belief that Ruby Tuesdays, Applebees, Chilis and TGI Fridays are insensate evil.
@ineffable.me: He'll be prosecuted. There are laws making it illegal to drug somebody without their knowledge. In the myspace incident, prosecutors couldn't determine any laws that were broken.
Plus, there seems to be clear evidence and a witness. He will probably plea down to a lesser charge though.
@LoveNoelG: Yes! Can we see a photo of this douchebag, as a starter? It could be like a Jezebel PSA.
I find it both horrifying and really uplifting that this is the second story I've heard like this in recent months. Horrifying re: creepy daters, uplifting re: heroic wait staff. At least both stories ended well.
Ugh. Awful.
At Ruby F-ing Tuesdays! What the hell?? Strangers are terrifying enough anyway, but if someone is brazen enough to try to drug someone in a brightly lit restaurant where there are probably little kids around running back and forth from the buffet line, then I don't think I want to leave my house too much anymore.
And the guys's out on bail? I say his punishment should be, him being forcefed that Alli weight loss/butt leakage stuff in jail for a long long while.
Oh lord, check this: Robert Psaty (the perp) is employed by the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo...
Good god.
Yes, let's start the counterpart for Email from a Douche, and nominate Colt Haugen for GWLT (Guys we'd like to thank).
What's really sad is that this guy was so cocky that he thought he could brazenly do this in front of a waiter and not be called out.
Woohoo!
@ineffable.me: I believe that now there is all this publicity, he will get more of what he deserves. Public outcry and all that.
I would hope nobody would ignore it. It happens in reverse too. Guy I knew got slipped a mickey.
=( Though once I did laugh when a couple i know slipped a friend a Viagra at the bar. He left quickly, and yes I felt bad later since it possibly could have affected him.
@lola82: Is it wrong that all I can picture is Joey from Full House doing "cut it off" hand signs?
Rock on, Colt! Nice to have a male hero for once! I believe this is Feel Good Thursday....just stay away from the McCain Thread. Yikes!
@Hamsterpants: But they serve potato skins! It's my vacation treat.
@ineffable.me: I don't know about that. You can't exactly get away with slipping something in someone's drink. Especially when you have an eyewitness and a positive test for a controlled substance. And if it turns out he got the Valium illegally. You can bet that because this story made national news, this case will end up under a microscope.
I was on anothr site last night and some guy was saying this case had to be a lie, it is too hard to mash up pills, no waiter would ever notice this, and the police wouldn't do anything. A lot of people agreed with him, which was depressing.
As a bonus, the guy on bail is a former city council member. [www.thebostonchannel.com]
@TheOtherJen:
an island with a hellish climate?? and prison guards like in Shawshank Redemption?
@Hamsterpants: Not that the waiter in't the bomb. I just EXPECT nafariousness at these places.
@ineffable.me: If the guy is free on bail, then he's already been charged with something. But all defendants, even slimeballs, are entitled to reasonable bail.
After some facebook creeping, it appears Colt the miracle waiter has a girlfriend, or at least a girl he seems exceptionally happy to be next to in his profile pic.
@hamburgerhotdog: You would be surprised how many really fucked up people work in the mental health field.
@bigleggedwoman: I know it sounds stupid (thank you TSA and DoHS), but if you see something, you have to say something. It's too easy to stay aloof and not get involved, because of the potential embarrassment if you're wrong.
I bet the waiter totally reads Nancy Drew novels and is always getting caught up in this kind of mischief. If it wasn't for you meddling kids, I could have gotten away with it! I might be combining Nancy Drew and Scooby Doo?
@clevernamehere: He also works a mental health counselor working with patients who were found nonguilty due to pleas of insanity. Just the person you want working with the mentally ill...
this is why i never ever get up to use the restroom when any drink is on the table. either get your own drink directly from the bar or use the restroom before you are seated or after you've eaten dinner and the check needs to be dropped.
colt's mama should be proud.
Appropriate punishment? Roofie him and set him loose in the Yard.
I was out with a GF once at a hotel bar, went to the restroom, and she was crazy when I got back. Agreed to go to a guy's room upstairs for "pizza" about 10 minutes after meeting him. I said no way, told him to F off, and dragged her out. An hour later she could not remember the event at all. Soooo scary. It took us a while to figure out he must have spiked her drink.
@Hamsterpants: Did someone say "nefariousness"? I can't believe I almost missed that...
@rednrowdy:
SMART cookie! Me neither.
@Archetype: You beat me to it. Most people turn a blind eye to anything that doesn't directly affect them, no matter what it is.
Is that the lady sitting next to him, or a newscaster?
Total weirdness. I hate creepy drugsters. I was in a group of five women last Friday talking about drugged drinks, and four/five of us had our drinks drugged (although only one had had any interaction with the drugger post-drink) and two of us were 99% sure the bartender was behind the drugging. Weird, eh?
@Jiboo: There was a photo on GMA - must be a way to access that online.
An apt punishment for douchebags like this? The Most Dangerous Game, with some angry Jezzies doing the hunting.
Do they have the "If you see something, say something" subway ads in CO nowadays? Yay Colt! You make us proud!
Though ladies, seriously: a blind date decides on Ruby Tuesdays as a first date? Shouldn't Colt have noticed something was wrong immediately?
@