Inset: John Ruben Demeter (Montgomery County Sheriff's Office). Background: The Montgomery County Jail in Conroe, Texas (Google Maps).
A Texas man is facing significant time behind bars after giving a woman abortion medication without her knowledge, according to law enforcement in the Lone Star State.
John Ruben Demeter, 25, stands accused of one count each of illegal performance of an abortion and injury to a child, according to a press release issued by the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
"[H]e secretly administered an abortion-inducing drug to a pregnant woman without her knowledge or consent, resulting in the death of her unborn child," the press release reads.
The allegations against the defendant were first leveled in February, when a woman sought medical attention because she believed she had surreptitiously been made to ingest abortifacients.
Investigators determined Demeter had obtained abortion medication online and had it shipped to his home, Montgomery County Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Authorities believe the defendant crushed the medication and mixed it into at least one drink that was given to the woman.
"He covertly crushed that medication and mixed it in a water bottle with a liquid I.V. packet, and this was done with this specific intent to cause the death of the child," Doolittle said.
The pregnancy is believed to have been some 14 weeks along when the unborn child was killed, according to law enforcement.
"That baby, Presley Mae, was stillborn at the hospital, weighed about 55 grams," the sheriff added.
In response to significant media attention over Demeter's original arrest, officials on Wednesday stressed that the latest charges "stem from allegations involving the non-consensual administration of medication and the resulting harm alleged in the investigation."
During the Wednesday press conference, prosecutors also said they believe the case against Demeter may be historic in that it is the first of its kind under the state's anti-abortion statute.
Deputies were first called to the hospital over a miscarriage that had occurred under suspicious circumstances, law enforcement said.
The defendant's girlfriend suspected the child's father had poisoned her to end the pregnancy, according to a report by Houston-based ABC affiliate KTRK. The woman told investigators that her boyfriend wanted her to abort the baby and offered to pay for her travel so she could legally get the medical procedure performed out of state.
Investigators believe Demeter gave his then-girlfriend mifepristone, a drug illegal in Texas under the state's abortion ban.
"These allegations describe conduct that is both deeply troubling and profoundly harmful," prosecutor Laura Hill said. "Our responsibility is to carefully evaluate the evidence, apply the law as written, and seek justice on behalf of victims and this community."
Initially, Demeter faced charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has been detained in the Montgomery County Jail since he was arrested on Feb. 23, two days after the miscarriage.
Now, the defendant is facing two first-degree felonies and could spend a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted.
"This case represents allegations of deliberate deception that resulted in devastating consequences," Montgomery County District Attorney Mike Holley said. "The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office will continue to pursue justice based on the facts, the evidence, and the laws of the State of Texas."