Police arrest married man for using abortion drug

A married man was arrested on his girlfriend's allegations of slipping her an abortion drug.

Photo: Police arrest married man for using abortion drug

Indian-born Manishkumar M. Patel, 34, was expected to be charged Thursday afternoon.

The woman already had a 3-year-old child with the man, who was married to someone else, sheriff's Capt. Michael Jobe said. She became pregnant two more times, but miscarried in December and September, he said.

Apparently suspecting she had been slipped mifespristone, the abortion pill also known as RU-486, the woman had a blood sample sent to a California lab for analysis, Jobe said. When it tested positive for the drug, she approached the sheriff's department. The man was arrested Wednesday.

Sheriff's officials said charges against Patel could include attempted first-degree intentional homicide of an unborn child, burglary, stalking and violating a restraining order. Prosecutors would not say what charges they intended to file.

Patel's attorney, Thomas Zoesch, declined to comment Thursday, saying he had not seen the criminal complaint.

Sheriff's investigators said Patel admitted putting the drug in something the woman consumed without her knowledge. Jobe did not say how she ingested the drug.