A North Texas man with ties to the U.S. Department of Justice is facing serious charges pertaining to the forced abortion of his unborn child. Justin Anthony Banta, aged 38, was arrested last Friday, as per the Parker County Sheriff's Office. Banta, who is an employee in the IT department of the DOJ, stands accused of administeringan abortion-inducing drug to his pregnant girlfriend without her consent, leading to the loss of the six-week-old fetus.
Investigators believe that Banta meticulously planned to secretly administer the drug, referred to as "Plan C," in his girlfriend's drink after she expressed her intentions to keep the baby. According to the victim's statement obtained by FOX 26 Houston, she suspected the deceit took place during an October meeting at a Tarrant County coffee shop. Following the encounter, the victim was overcome with extreme fatigue and heavy bleeding, necessitating an emergency room visit where it was confirmed that she had lost the fetus.
The case against Banta escalated when authorities seized his cell phone as part of the evidence. However, it is alleged that Banta, utilizing his IT expertise, remotely performed a factory reset, which effectively eliminated critical evidence. This act led to an additional charge of tampering with physical evidence on top of the capital murder charge filed in Tarrant County. Despite the gravity of the allegations, Banta was released from custody after posting bonds totaling $520,000, as reported by CBS News.
The Sheriff's Office, along with assistance from various agencies including the Texas Rangers and the FBI, is still actively pursuing the case. Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing, with the prosecution eagerly awaiting to thoroughly examine the facts.
