A Texas attorney accused of drugging his wife’s water in a bid to induce an abortion has been sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years probation.
Mason Herring on Wednesday pleaded guilty to injury to a child and assault of a pregnant person. He was initially facing a count of felony assault to induce abortion, but the charge was downgraded as part of a plea deal.
His wife, Catherine Herring, filed for divorce in May 2022 and the proceedings are ongoing. Just months earlier, she told authorities her husband had become suddenly obsessed with her hydration habits and ordered her to drink more water.
She became violently ill shortly after taking a sip from a glass he provided, the contents of which appeared cloudy, Catherine said. He waved off her worry however, dismissing the discolored drink as a result of dirty pipes.
Concerned by her husband’s behavior, Catherine scoured the home and ultimately uncovered packaging for a drug that contains misoprostol, a medicine used to induce abortion. She also provided authorities with a video taken inside her home, showing Herring mixing a substance into one of her drinks.
A private lab confirmed the presence of the abortion medication inside the water, which was tested as part of the Houston Police Department’s investigation.
During an emotional statement to the court, Catherine revealed her youngest child, a 1-year-old girl she shares with Herring, was born about 10 weeks premature, has developmental delays and attends therapy eight times a week.
“I do not believe that 180 days is justice for attempting to kill your child seven separate times,” Catherine said. She noted that his jail time is fewer days than their daughter spent relying on a feeding tube and the length of his probation one year less than they were married.
Herring’s attorney, Dan Codgell, meanwhile praised the sentence and the plea deal for his client.
“It’s a sad situation and Mason has accepted his responsibility,” Cogdell said.
With News Wire Services
