Despite the suspected poisonings, which began in March, the baby was born healthy, albeit slightly premature, local TV station KTRK reported. Mason Herring, the founder of an oil and gas law firm, is the first person in Harris County, Texas, to face charges of inducing an abortion by force under a law that went into effect this year under a law that also criminalized abortion in the State. The charges, which also include assault on a pregnant person, carry a possible sentence of two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to US$10,000. Story continues below ad 2:55 Texas abortion law leaves enforcement in private hands. What you need to know According to court documents obtained by The Associated Press and KTRK, the couple was attending marriage counseling in February when Herring’s wife told him she was pregnant. Later, in a series of text messages, Herring, 38, expressed his displeasure at the news. In March, prosecutors said Herring brought his wife breakfast at their home, where she no longer lived. During her visit, he began lecturing her about hydration and offered her water. “The complainant drank from the cup and stopped to take a breath. He noticed the water appeared cloudy,” court documents state. “Ask the accused about it. He stated that maybe the cup was dirty or the pipes were dirty.’

		Read more: Noose found at Obama Presidential Center, halting construction 		
	read more 	


			A noose was found at the Obama Presidential Center, halting construction

Story continues below ad After finishing the drink, Herring allegedly took the cup and left, according to Anthony Oso, an assistant prosecutor in the case who spoke to KTRK. Within 30 minutes, the woman said she became very ill and had to go to the emergency room, where doctors were stunned by her symptoms. Current trend

			CEO: Pivot Airlines crew held in Dominican Republic for 220 days ‘will return home soon’ 	      				The verified Twitter account ‘Parody’ Doug Ford has been suspended

After the mysterious incident, Herring’s wife became suspicious of him based on his reaction to her pregnancy, Osso said, and decided to set up cameras in her home. Over the course of a month, Herring’s wife says her husband brought her drinks six times, which she did not drink and kept as evidence.

		Read more: JonBenét Ramsey: The unsolved murder will be investigated by the cold case team

In one instance, “The complainant stated that the defendant gave her a bottle of orange juice and she noticed that the seal on the bottle was broken,” documents read in court said. At one point, the woman’s surveillance cameras caught Herring taking a bag of powder out of his pocket and putting it in a drink that he then gave to his wife, the prosecutor said. “He observed the defendant clean out his truck and take the trash out to the curb. He stated that this was out of character for the accused as he does not do housework. When the defendant left, the complainant went to the trash can to see what was inside,” court documents state. Story continues below ad

		Read more: 4 US states vote to ban slavery in all forms.  Louisiana votes to keep it

There, Herring’s wife found an opened blister pack of a Mexican drug called Cyrux, which contains misoprostol, a drug used to induce abortions. Soon after, the pregnant woman contacted the police and Herring was arrested. Six water samples the woman saved were later tested at an Oklahoma lab, Osso said, and at least two of them contained misoprostol. “It’s manipulative,” Oso said. “It’s premeditated. What we allege Mr. Herring did, which we believe the evidence supports, is a pretty heinous act.”

		Read more: Adidas to sell Kanye West’s Yeezy shoes under a different name, CFO says

It’s unclear how Herring obtained the prescription drug, though NPR reported that health officials on the Texas-Mexico border were seeing an increase in women going to unregulated pharmacies in Mexico to get abortion pills after the law against of state abortions. Court records show Herring was released from jail on a $30,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on December 2. Neither Herring nor his attorney have commented on the situation. A spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Herring was also charged with assault for attempted abortion. Story continues below ad

		Read more: Nurse accused of amputating patient’s leg without license for taxidermy display

If convicted, Herring faces two to 10 years behind bars and a fine of up to $10,000. He is scheduled to appear in court on December 2. Nicholas Norris, Herring’s attorney, declined to immediately comment Thursday. 1:52 Woman carrying fetus without skull denied abortion in Louisiana Previous Video Next Video © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.