Latest news with #ParkerCountySheriff'sOffice
The Hill
16-07-2025
- The Hill
Texas woman accused of planning to send fentanyl-laced chocolates to ex-husband
COLEMAN, Texas (WJW) — A Texas woman is facing charges after authorities say she plotted to kill her ex-husband by sending him a box of chocolates laced with fentanyl. The Parker County Sheriff's Office initiated their investigation after a source alleged that 63-year-old Pamela Jean Stanley had wanted to kill her ex-husband, who had recently become engaged. Suspect arrested after 'American Idol' executive, her husband shot to death: Police Investigators said Stanley was recorded saying she wanted to buy and 'inject' fentanyl into a box of chocolates and send it to her ex. She also planned to make the chocolates appear as if they were a 'congratulatory gift' from a travel company, along with a honeymoon promotion, the sheriff's office said. Undercover agents with the office's Special Crimes Unit convinced Stanley to meet them to buy fentanyl in the parking lot of a motel in Coleman, Texas, the sheriff's office said. They took her into custody after the operation. Upon arrest, Stanley was also found to be in possession of 9.5 grams of methamphetamine. Stanley has since been indicted for 'criminal solicitation with intent to commit murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver,' according to the sheriff's office.
Perth Now
12-06-2025
- Perth Now
Murder charge after man spikes GF's drink with abortion drug
A man has been charged with capital murder after allegedly lacing his girlfriend's drink with an abortion drug at a coffee shop, because she refused to terminate her pregnancy. Detectives in the US state of Texas began an investigation into allegations made against Justin Anthony Banta after his girlfriend made a complaint to police following a miscarriage. Mr Banta was arrested and charged with murdering the unborn child after investigators felt they had gathered enough evidence to prove he poured the abortion drug, Plan C, into his former partner's a cup of coffee while meeting at a local store. The woman, whose name has not been released, was unaware of his actions, but later became suspicious after she experienced heavy bleeding soon after the meeting and had to rush to an urgent care facility. Days after her hospital visit the woman lost the baby, which doctors had described as being in perfect health, to a miscarriage. Prior to the incident, Mr Banta reportedly offered to provide money for the woman to have an abortion, which she refused, saying she wished to have the baby. A police statement said Mr Banta's former girlfriend was around six weeks pregnant. During a checkup with her doctor, she was told the baby had 'a strong heartbeat' and vital signs, according to the statement. 'Later that same day, the victim reported she met Banta at a coffee shop ... where she expressed her suspicion that Banta had secretly added abortion-inducing pills to her drink without her knowledge or permission,' the Parker County Sheriff's Office said. The woman also reportedly told police Mr Banta proposed they purchase some Plan C abortion drug online as he tried in vain to convince here to terminate the pregnancy. Mr Banta who was working in IT for the US Department of Justice at the time, is alleged to have accessed his phone remotely and performed a 'reset' following the events. He has been subsequently been charged with tampering with physical evidence. The state of Texas introduced a law in 2022 that carries civil and criminal penalties for those who perform abortions and has some of the strictest laws in the US around abortion. A law in 2021 also bans the termination of pregnancies after a baby's heartbeat is detected, but does make exceptions for medical emergencies.
USA Today
11-06-2025
- USA Today
DOJ worker accused of drugging girlfriend to abort her child, officials say
Hear this story An information technology employee for the U.S. Department of Justice has been charged in connection to a capital murder case in Texas after authorities said he slipped abortion drugs into a woman's drink, causing her to miscarry. Justin Banta, 38, was booked into the Parker County Jail on June 6 in connection to the death of a child he was expecting with his then-girlfriend in October 2024. According to authorities, Banta allegedly put an abortion drug in the woman's drink without her knowledge, leading to the loss of their baby. Banta was released on bond that same day, June 6, per online court records. Banta is facing a charge of tampering with physical evidence out of Parker County, as well as a charge out of Tarrant County for capital murder, authorities said in a press release. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment on June 11. As of Wednesday afternoon, June 11, information about Banta's legal representation was not immediately clear. Here's what we know so far about the case against Banta. What is the victim saying? The victim was expecting a child with Banta, her then-boyfriend, in September 2024, the Parker County Sheriff's Office said in the press release. When she told Banta she was pregnant, he offered to cover the cost of terminating the pregnancy, the victim told authorities. She told Banta she wanted to keep the baby, authorities said. On Oct. 17, 2024, when she was six weeks pregnant, she went to a doctor's appointment and found out her child had a strong heartbeat and good vital signs. That same day, she met Banta at a coffee shop in Tarrant County, 37 miles west of Dallas. The victim told investigators she thinks Banta put 'Plan C,' commonly known as an abortion drug, into her drink. The next day, she was extremely fatigued and suffered heavy bleeding, so she went to the emergency room. By Oct. 19, she'd lost her baby, 'which she believed was a result of the drugs Banta had previously placed in her drink at the coffee shop without her permission,' the Parker County Sheriff's Office said. Authorities: Suspect and IT worker remotely wiped his phone Authorities interviewed Banta and collected his cell phone as evidence, Parker County authorities said. 'Sheriff's investigators believe Banta, who works at the IT Department of the U.S. Department of Justice, later accessed the phone remotely and performed a 'reset,' thereby deleting crucial evidence related to the case,' the Parker County Sheriff's Office said. The office's Criminal Investigations Division arrested Banta on June 6 in connection to the death of the woman's baby. Authorities referred to the baby's death as a 'capital murder investigation.' According to Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier, Banta's cases are awaiting prosecution. Authier said multiple agencies worked the cases, including the Texas Rangers, Benbrook Police, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Digital Forensic and Technical Services, the U.S. Secret Service, the Regional Organized Crime Information Center, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
American Military News
11-06-2025
- American Military News
Pic: DOJ worker allegedly spiked pregnant girlfriend's drink with abortion pill
An employee of the U.S. Department of Justice was recently charged with capital murder after allegedly spiking his pregnant girlfriend's drink with an abortion pill. In a press release on Facebook, the Parker County Sheriff's Office announced that the office's Criminal Investigations Division arrested 38-year-old Justin Anthony Banta, an employee of the Department of Justice's information technology department, on Friday as part of a 'capital murder investigation involving a pregnant woman.' 'The victim reported that her boyfriend intentionally added 'Plan C,' (commonly known as the abortion drug) to her drink in order to force her to have an abortion without her knowledge or consent,' the press release stated. According to the Parker County Sheriff's Office, the female victim reported in September of 2024 that she was in a 'romantic relationship' with Banta when she found out she was pregnant. After the victim told Banta that she was pregnant, the 38-year-old suspect offered to cover the cost of an abortion and proposed ordering the abortion drug online; however, the victim told Banta that she wanted to keep the baby. The press release explained that the victim had a sonogram on October 17 when she was roughly six weeks pregnant and was told by a doctor that her baby was healthy. READ MORE: Democrats block bill protecting babies born alive during failed abortions 'Later that same day, the victim reported she met Banta at a coffee shop in Tarrant County, where she expressed her suspicion that Banta had secretly added abortion-inducing pills to her drink without her knowledge or permission, while they were at a coffee shop,' the Parker County Sheriff's Office said. According to law enforcement officials, the victim started experiencing 'heavy bleeding' and 'extreme fatigue' just one day after meeting Banta at the coffee shop, forcing her to go to an emergency room. The victim told law enforcement officials that she lost her baby on October 17 and claimed that the loss of her baby was caused by abortion drugs Banta allegedly placed in her drink. The Parker County Sheriff's Office believes that Banta remotely accessed his cell phone, which was seized by law enforcement officials as evidence, and 'reset' the phone to delete 'crucial evidence related to the case.' According to the press release, law enforcement officials obtained a felony arrest warrant for the 38-year-old suspect and booked him into the Parker County Jail on Friday. Banta has been charged by the Texas Rangers for capital murder and by the Parker County Sheriff's Office for tampering with physical evidence. A picture of Banta has been shared on X, formerly Twitter. 🔎 Federal IT Employee Accused of Capital Murder After Allegedly Drugging Pregnant Girlfriend's Drink 💔 Parker County, TX – A months-long investigation has led to the arrest of 38-year-old Justin Anthony Banta, who is now facing capital murder charges after allegedly slipping… — Texan Report (@TexanReport) June 9, 2025
Daily Record
11-06-2025
- Daily Record
Man charged with murder after slipping abortion drug in pregnant girlfriend's drink
Justin Anthony Banta's ex-partner experienced heavy bleeding and visited the emergency room, but lost her baby a few days later. A man has been charged with murder after he allegedly slipped an abortion drug into his pregnant girlfriend's coffee. Justin Anthony Banta was arrested on Friday after a months-long investigation into his former girlfriend's accusation that he gave her the Plan C pill, which is a known abortion drug, without her knowledge. Police in Texas say Banta's ex-partner said when she disclosed her pregnancy last year, he had offered to cover the cost of an abortion, but she told him she wanted desire to keep the baby. Police said after meeting with Mr Banta in a coffee shop, she experienced heavy bleeding and visited the emergency room, but lost her baby a few days later. The 38-year-old has now been charged with felonies for attempted capital murder and tampering with physical evidence and is awaiting prosecution, according to the Parker County Sheriff's Office. Police said Banta's former girlfriend was around six-weeks pregnant when she went for a check up with her doctor, who told her the baby was healthy and had "a strong heartbeat" and vital signs. "Later that same day, the victim reported she met Banta at a coffee shop... where she expressed her suspicion that Banta had secretly added abortion-inducing pills to her drink without her knowledge or permission," the sheriff's office said in a statement. Banta's former girlfriend also said he had suggested they buy the Plan C abortion drug online after she disclosed her pregnancy. 'The victim reported she lost her baby on October 19, which she believed was a result of the drugs Banta had previously placed in her drink at the coffee shop without her permission,' the Parker County Sheriff's Office said. Following an interview with Banta, police collected his mobile phone, but later discovered "crucial evidence relating to the case" was deleted, they said. Investigators said they believed Banta, who worked in IT at the US Department of Justice, later accessed his phone remotely and performed a "reset". Investigators had seized his cellphone as evidence. However, Parker County officials allege that Banta used his IT skills to remotely connect to his cellphone and force a 'reset' while it was in possession of local authorities and 'thereby deleting crucial evidence related to the case.' An arrest warrant for him was then obtained, and Banta was charged last week with capital murder and tampering with physical evidence. Police said the cases against Banta remains active and ongoing. Texas has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the US, banning all abortions except in dire medical circumstances. The state introduced a law in 2022 that carries civil and criminal penalties for those who perform abortions. A law in 2021 also bans the termination of pregnancies after a baby's heartbeat is detected, but does make exceptions for medical emergencies. Banta was taken into custody last Friday. He was released later that day on bond set at $500,000 for the attempted murder charge and $20,000 for the charge of tampering with evidence, local jail records show.
