A Texas attorney accused of drugging his wife — pregnant with their third child — received a 6-month jail sentence after pleading guilty to downgraded charges, Texas court records show.
The 39-year-old man was arrested in 2022 when his wife caught him drugging her with a medication known to cause miscarriages, according to court records filed in Harris County. He pleaded guilty to injury to a child and assault of a pregnant person, records show.
The husband, identified as Mason Herring, was originally charged with felony assault to induce abortion, according to court filings. By accepting his plea deal, he will be jailed for 180 days with 10 years of probation.
Herring Allegedly Told Wife Having a Baby 'Would Ruin His Plans and Make Him Look Like a Jerk'
The case began back in April 2022, after Catherine filed a police report accusing her husband of sneaking abortion pills into her drinks. Though the two were separated and in couple's counseling, she got pregnant with their third child and, according to her, he had a "negative reaction" to the news.
Per a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, she claimed he told her the baby "would ruin his plans and make him look like a jerk."
Herring Spiked Wife's Water with the Anti-Abortion Pills, Kept Telling Her to Remain Hydrated
While trying to work on their marriage, they took a trip together with their kids in March 2022, where Mason allegedly began to stress the importance of hydration and said his wife "needed to drink more water." At one point, she said, he gave her a glass of water and refused to leave her side until she finished it -- but the water appeared cloudy. According to Catherine, he told her "perhaps the cup was dirty or the pipes were dirty."
She later became violently ill and started to suspect her husband was up to no good. That same day, Catherine continued to have diarrhea and went to the hospital once she discovered she was also bleeding. After that, she said her husband kept plying her with drinks containing "an unknown substance" over the next month, which she did not consume.
Catherine also said she discovered open packets of a drug in the trash, after seeing her husband clean out his vehicle. The drug, she soon discovered, was a version of the American drug Cytotec that contains Misoprostol, which can cause medical abortion, according to court documents.
Video from her kitchen also allegedly showed him "taking a Ziplock bag out of his pocket and emptying the contents" into a drink he later gave her.
Baby was Born 10 Weeks Premature Due to the Drugs
In court, Catherine said their baby was born 10 weeks premature, weighing just over three pounds. According to the AP, she also said the baby has developmental delays and attends therapy eight times a week.
His wife does not feel Herring's sentencing was enough. "I do not believe that 180 days is justice for attempting to kill your child seven separate times. For two years, my husband has overly denied this assault, and I'm grateful today that he has finally admitted to his guilt," she said in court Wednesday, Feb. 7, KTRK reported.
