{"id":2116,"date":"2026-05-21T04:01:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2116"},"modified":"2026-05-21T04:01:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:01:20","slug":"texas-man-accused-of-secretly-giving-abortion-medication-to-pregnant-woman-faces-historic-charges-prosecutors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2116","title":{"rendered":"Texas man accused of secretly giving abortion medication to pregnant woman faces historic charges, prosecutors"},"content":{"rendered":"<div> <!-- --> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas<\/strong> &#8211; <\/span>A Montgomery County man is facing felony charges in what prosecutors say may be the first prosecution of its kind under Texas\u2019 abortion statute.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2114\">Acres Homes residents demand answers after abandoned RV sits for weeks on Victory Drive<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Man accused of secretly giving abortion medication to pregnant woman<\/h2>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>FOX 26 first reported on the case back in February after investigators accused 25-year-old John Ruben Demeter of secretly giving abortion medication to a pregnant woman without her knowledge or consent.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>During a Wednesday press conference, Montgomery County District Attorney Mike Holley announced Demeter had been indicted on charges of illegal performance of an abortion and injury to a child.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Officials say both charges are first-degree felonies punishable by five years to life in prison.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We believe this is the first time in the state of Texas it has been used to prosecute anyone in the state,&#8221; Holley said while discussing the abortion statute.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors stressed repeatedly that the case does not involve a consensual abortion.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Instead, investigators allege Demeter secretly administered abortion medication to the woman, causing the death of her unborn child.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Demeter remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Investigation details:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>According to investigators, the case began on February 21 after the woman sought medical attention and told authorities she believed she had been given abortion medication without her knowledge.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said investigators later determined Demeter allegedly obtained abortion medication online and had it shipped to his home.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Authorities say investigators believe the medication was crushed and mixed into a drink.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2112\">$14.7M in meth hidden in lettuce shipment seized at Texas border<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Investigators say the unborn child, identified by officials as Presley May, was approximately 14 weeks along.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Demeter was arrested on February 23 and has remained in the Montgomery County Jail since that time.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Why the case is unusual:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Holley acknowledged the prosecution raises unique legal questions because of how Texas\u2019 abortion statute is being applied.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The district attorney said prosecutors debated several potential charges before ultimately deciding the abortion statute most directly addressed the allegations.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Defense attorney Rick DeSoto, who is not connected to the case, told FOX 26 the issue of consent could become central moving forward.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In this case, it\u2019s basically an assault where a person is causing serious bodily injury or death to a fetus\u2026 without their consent, without them knowing about it,&#8221; DeSoto said.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>DeSoto also said legal and political divisions surrounding abortion laws could complicate jury selection and future appeals if there is a conviction.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s next:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Court records show the case is assigned to the 221st District Court.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors say Demeter\u2019s next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Officials also say the investigation into how the abortion medication was allegedly obtained remains ongoing.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=2107\">Democrat for Texas Governor Gina Hinojosa favors returning billions in state \u2018Rainy Day Fund\u2019 to Texans<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!-- --> <!-- --> <!-- --> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Montgomery County prosecutors say a Texas man accused of secretly giving abortion medication to a pregnant woman without her consent is facing charges that could mark the first prosecution of its kind under the state\u2019s abortion statute.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,11,8,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-and-public-safety","category-montgomery-county","category-news","category-top-stories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Texas man accused of secretly giving abortion medication to pregnant woman faces historic charges, prosecutors - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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