DOJ Employee Charged After Allegedly Slipping Abortion Drug Into Girlfriend’s Drink

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A U.S. Department of Justice IT worker has been charged after Texas officials say he surreptitiously slipped a drug in his girlfriend’s drink so as to induce an abortion.

Justin Anthony Banta, 38, is charged with capital murder and tampering with evidence, according to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities say the girlfriend told Banta in September that she was pregnant with his child, and that he suggested she get an abortion via Plan C. The girlfriend informed him she wanted to carry the pregnancy to term.

When she was six weeks pregnant in October, the alleged victim met Banta at a coffee shop after visiting the doctor. A sonogram indicated the baby was in overall good health. However, a day later, officials said she suffered from “extreme fatigue and heavy bleeding.” She went to a local emergency department and later miscarried.

Cops say Banta put the drug in his girlfriend’s drink when she was not looking.

They also say Banta tampered with evidence after they confiscated his phone. Police allege he remotely initiated a factory reset of the device and deleted potential evidence that he purchased the drug or conducted searches that might incriminate him.

Banta was arrested on Friday and was booked in Parker County Jail. He has since posted bond.

In Texas, abortion is outlawed after about six weeks of pregnancy. Republican lawmakers in the state are seeking to prevent the mailing of Plan C and other abortion-inducing drugs to addresses in Texas, where residents are still able to obtain them by mail. It is unclear how Banta allegedly obtained the drug.