One Night, Five Victims: Suspected Drink Tampering at Eureka Bar

Stock photo by TJ Bruder on Unsplash

What was supposed to be a celebratory night out turned into a nightmare for four people in Eureka on April 25. What began as a 36th birthday celebration for Kimberly Donahue ended with blackouts, vomiting, and hours of confusion—symptoms the group now believes were caused by their drinks being spiked at the 707 Bar in Old Town Eureka. Later that same night, a fifth person, Ms. Hernandez, experienced similar symptoms at the same bar, despite not accepting a drink from anyone.

The stories, led by the detailed recollection of Krystyna Lewis, pieced together through text messages and phone records, shine a spotlight on a chilling problem that experts say is dangerously underreported—and often dismissed.

“We were just going to go do a shot ski, maybe have one drink, and then I was going to drop her off,” said Lewis, a longtime Humboldt County resident. She picked up the birthday girl, Donahue, around 9 p.m., then a male friend, and arrived at the 707 Bar shortly before 10 p.m.

They chatted with other patrons, recruited a fourth woman for the shot ski, and a little while later, accepted drinks offered by a couple men who the group chatted with at the bar. “I was fine, and I literally, it wasn’t 20 minutes after I finished that Corona that they bought me, that I started not feeling right,” Lewis recalled. Feeling suddenly ill and having had the drink and shot ski they planned on, the group decided to leave. One of the men that purchased drinks for the group offered to give Donahue a ride home even though she already had a ride.

The group split up—Lewis drove alone while Donahue and their male friend left with the woman they had met at the bar, planning to reconvene at Donahue’s home to continue the celebration. But according to Lewis, it would be hours before they arrived. As they left the bar, the effects of the suspected drugs began to take hold, disorienting each of them along the way.

The night that was supposed to be joyful quickly became frightening. Donahue says she blacked out completely after the group shot ski. “I pretty much don’t remember anything else at all,” she said. She was later found by Lewis, shoeless, crying, and vomiting between two parked cars.

The male friend was found lying in a stranger’s lawn, disoriented and vomiting. A phone call from the fourth woman revealed she was hysterical and unable to say where she was.

Lewis herself began experiencing blackouts while driving in search of her friends. At the time, based on the amount of alcohol she consumed, she believed she was legally sober, not yet realizing she may have been drugged. “I could have hurt someone. I could have hurt myself. I could have gone to jail–they would have ruined my life,” she said, reflecting on the danger she was in while unknowingly under the influence of something far stronger than alcohol.

All reported feeling extremely ill for days afterward, vomiting profusely.

Donahue, unable to work the next day, eventually sought treatment for dehydration and adverse reactions at the hospital. “It’s really scary. Good thing I did have Krystyna with me and a good friend because…,” she trailed off. “I don’t know, it’s really scary.”

Though Kimberly’s group had accepted drinks from men they met that night, Ms. Hernandez had not. She arrived at the bar between 12 and 12:30 a.m.—after the birthday group had left—and said her drink never left her hand. Still, she reported feeling suddenly and violently ill. “There’s no other reason somebody’s just going to drug you… there’s intention behind it, and it’s not good intention.”

She later reached out after seeing Lewis’s public post about the incident, having not said anything to anyone up until that point. The embarrassment of realizing she had been slipped something without her knowledge, she said, silenced her. “Out of five people, only one wanted to say something. That right there tells you something,” Hernandez said. “If we had no friends to take us home, we could have ended up raped, dead, or kidnapped. That’s five people for one night.”

Their symptoms—rapid onset, confusion, memory loss, and vomiting—strongly suggest drugging. Each woman emphasized that they know what drinking to excess feels like, and this wasn’t it.

Lewis attempted to report the incident to the Eureka Police Department about two weeks later, but after being placed on hold for 30 minutes, she hung up. “I just kind of gave up after that. I feel like no one cares. Like no one’s listening.”

In an interview with Redheaded Blackbelt, Police Chief Brian Stephens said that the delay was likely due to multiple emergencies at the time of the attempted report, something that can happen as dispatchers prioritize life-threatening emergencies over a non-emergent report, which is what Lewis indicated to dispatch as her call was two weeks after the incident.

Additionally, Stephens said, aside from delays, underreporting of such incidents is common. In the last year, EPD reports only one case of suspected drink spiking was reported to their department. Meanwhile, a UK DrinkAware study published in 2024 indicated that 90% of drink spiking went unreported.

“It’s always hard to tell [how prevalent it is] because you can’t put your finger on something that’s not reported. But when you look across the board at crimes where that are committed against victims who may feel ashamed, [they] may feel that they don’t want things to be public, which is definitely not where we come from,” Chief Stephens stated. He added, “If you feel that this has happened to you, please report it immediately, and that gives us more opportunities from an investigative stance to be able to find assistance for you.”

In addition to encouraging the victims in this story to reach out to the EPD’s Criminal Investigation Unit, Stephens shared a new reporting system that aims to make reporting easier–On June 2nd, the department will launch an online reporting system. Stephens believes it will improve tracking and responses to non-emergency crimes. “We’re going to get more reports. We believe we’re going to get a better understanding of what’s going on in our community.”

Though a police report was not filed, Lewis alerted 707 Bar staff of the incident the following day. Steven Bryan, the bar’s owner, confirmed he was informed shortly after the incident, reviewing security footage when he returned from a business trip. Although no clear footage emerged from cameras, he told Redheaded Blackbelt that he directed staff to bar the two men in question due to the group’s suspicions.

Bryan expressed genuine concern about drink tampering, saying he views the issue not only as a business owner but as a husband. He emphasized that the risk of someone being drugged is deeply personal to him, noting he would never want his own wife or anyone else’s loved one to be harmed. While acknowledging the difficulty of completely preventing such behavior—“They’re practically magicians, where they can just put stuff in people’s drinks,” he said—Bryan stressed his commitment to creating as safe an environment as possible for patrons.

While no staff or security system can catch everything in real time, Bryan said the 707 Bar team is trained and ready to act if drink tampering is suspected. Bartenders can hold or test a drink on request using on-site testing kits kept in the office. If a patron believes something is wrong, staff are instructed to notify police right away and guide the individual toward medical care. Bryan stressed that early action is critical, as testing becomes far less effective after even a few hours. He encouraged anyone feeling suddenly unwell or unsure to speak up immediately—whether it’s for themselves or someone else—so staff can act quickly to ensure their safety.

Of course, this issue is not limited to 707 Bar.

According to a 2023 North Coast Journal article, multiple women have spoken out about suspected druggings at other local bars.

According to the North Coast Journal article, the North Coast Rape Crisis Team (NCRCT) receives more than 20 calls each month related to drug-facilitated assault. These calls range from individuals who suspect they’ve been drugged to those seeking information about what to watch for. Executive Director Amanda LeBlanc told the NCJ that this is not a gendered issue. “It happens to men, it happens to women, people who are nonbinary, old and young. It can happen to anybody,” she said, underscoring the widespread and indiscriminate nature of the threat.

Nationally, the numbers point to a pervasive and invisible threat. A 2016 study published in Psychology of Violence found that 7.8% of U.S. college students believed they had been drugged. And in a YouGov survey in the U.K., 11% of adults reported believing they had experienced drink spiking at least once.

Men, too, are victims. A 2016 study published by the American Psychological Association found that while women were more likely to be targeted and reported more severe consequences, men accounted for 21 percent of drink spiking victims. Chief Stephens emphasize that drink spiking is not always driven by sexual intent—it can also be used as a tactic for theft, manipulation, or coercion.

Victims of drink spiking frequently face skepticism and dismissal, contributing to widespread underreporting. A 2022 BBC article cited a parliamentary investigation which found that many victims are brushed off as simply having had “one too many,” despite clear signs of drugging. The report also highlighted a common public belief that reporting to police is pointless, further discouraging individuals from coming forward.

“I didn’t even think of going [to the authorities]… I wish we could normalize being able to talk about this without the bullying that comes behind it,” Ms. Hernandez said.

How to Protect Yourself and Others:

• Never leave your drink unattended
• Don’t accept drinks from strangers unless you see them poured
• Stick with friends and watch each other’s drinks
• If something feels off, speak up. Get help immediately

If You Suspect You’ve Been Drugged:

• Get to a safe location
• Tell a trusted friend, staff member, or call 911
• Seek medical help as soon as possible and request toxicology testing
• Preserve evidence by delaying urination if possible before tests

Support Services:

• North Coast Rape Crisis Team: 24/7 Hotline – (707) 445-2881
• National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

As festival season and graduation parties begin, Lewis hopes others will speak up and look out for one another. “I want other people to know that they should come forward, that it’s not their fault.”

And she’s not alone.

Note: This article was edited after publication to correct a misspelling of Krystyna.