Texas man accused of slipping abortion drug into pregnant wife's drink

A Texas man allegedly tried to end his wife's pregnancy by slipping abortion drugs into her drinks.

The 38-year-old man named Mason Herring has been indicted by a grand jury in Harris County on two felony counts, including assault of a pregnant person. According to court records, Herring was originally arrested in May and released on a $30,000 bond.

Herring's wife claimed that he started spiking her drinks in March. She once noticed that the water her husband had given her was cloudy. Herring told her that it could have been from dirty pipes.

She then started cramping half an hour later and had to be taken to a hospital. He gave her four more such drinks over the next week after the emergency visit, according to an affidavit submitted to the court.

The woman further stated that she became suspicious of him after noticing "an unknown substance" in three of the drinks he offered her. She did not drink any of them.

"She then began to suspect that something had been placed in her drink and that perhaps it was some kind of abortion drug," the affidavit states. She later found open packs of Cyrux in the trash. Cyrux has misoprostol, an ingredient known to induce abortions.

"It's premeditated. What we are alleging Mr Herring did, which we believe the evidence supports, is a pretty heinous act. To do that to someone who trusts you, it's taking advantage of that trust," said Anthony Osso, an assistant district attorney prosecuting the case. Herring is scheduled to appear in court again on December 2. He is currently out on bail.

According to a report in The Guardian, the Herrings had a strained marriage even before they learned about the pregnancy. They had been living separately since February this year.

The two, however, had agreed to couples' therapy. It was during one of these sessions that his wife told him about the pregnancy. She told investigators that his reaction to the news was negative. She added that he sent her text messages stating that the pregnancy "would ruin his plans."