Attorney accused of drugging wife to force abortion

HOUSTON (KTRK) - A Houston lawyer faces charges of attempting to induce an abortion, an offense that falls under a Texas statute criminalizing abortion that was introduced this year.

Prosecutors say Mason Herring, an energy and natural resource attorney, tried to spike his pregnant wife’s drinks with a drug that induces abortion. He was not happy with the February news that his wife was pregnant with their child, according to prosecutors.

The couple had recently separated after 11 years of marriage.

Following the news of her pregnancy, Herring’s wife says he lectured her in March on staying hydrated and brought her water in bed. Within 30 minutes of drinking the water, she became very ill and went to the emergency room.

“The complainant drank out of the cup and stopped to take a breath. She noticed the water appeared to be cloudy. She questioned the defendant about this. He stated perhaps the cup was dirty or the pipes were dirty,” said documents read in court.

At least six times over the course of a month, Herring’s wife says her husband brought her drinks that he encouraged her to drink. Suspicious, she did not drink them but instead kept them as evidence.

“The complainant stated the defendant gave her a bottle of orange juice, and she observed the seal on the bottle was broken,” said documents read in court.

Surveillance cameras inside their home caught Herring putting a powdered substance from a bag in his pocket into a drink he gave his wife, according to prosecutors. The victim found opened blister packs that contained Cyrux, a Mexican pharmaceutical that contains the drug misoprostol in their trash.

Misoprostol can be used to induce abortions.

“She observed the defendant cleaned out his truck and took the trash out to the curb. She stated this was out of character for the defendant, as he does not do chores around the house. When the defendant left, the complainant went to the trash can to see what was inside,” said documents read in court.

The baby ended up being born slightly prematurely, but officials say the child is now healthy and doing well.

Herring is charged with assault of a pregnant person and assault – forced induction to have an abortion. He is out on a $30,000 bond. His attorney says they are looking forward to defending against these allegations in court.

If convicted, Herring faces a sentence of two to 10 years behind bars and a fine of up to $10,000. He is the first and only person in Harris County to be charged with assault – forced induction to have an abortion.

He is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 2.

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