GALENA, Md. (AP) — A dairy farmer is accused of giving a cattle hormone to a woman he got pregnant in hopes of inducing a miscarriage.
Police said William Stanley Sutton III, 25, added ProstaMate last week to a soda he gave to Lauren Ashley Tucker, 21.
Miss Tucker felt sick to her stomach and vomited after drinking a 20-ounce soda Mr. Sutton gave her that “tasted nasty and burnt her throat,” according to court records. She went to the hospital Aug. 9, and the hospital reported a possible poisoning to police.
The unborn child survived. Miss Tucker, who was treated and released, is now 15 weeks pregnant.
ProstaMate is a hormone given to cows in the breeding process to bring all cows in heat at the same time. It also can be used to stimulate an early term abortion in a heifer that gets pregnant too young or a cow that mates with an undesired bull.
Miss Tucker told authorities that Mr. Sutton tried to get her to drink more of the soda, “telling her that soda helps an upset stomach,” according to charging documents. She told police that Mr. Sutton is the father of her child and that he wanted her to have an abortion, the records said. Mr. Sutton was charged Monday with reckless endangerment, assault and knowingly and willingly contaminating Miss Tucker’s drink by adding poison or poisonous matter.
Mr. Sutton told police that he put 15cc of ProstaMate in Miss Tucker’s soda while she was visiting him. Mr. Sutton said he bought the drug from a veterinarian in Kent County.
According to police, Mr. Sutton said he didn’t mean to harm Miss Tucker, just to cause her to miscarry.
Mr. Sutton was released on $50,000 bail and was ordered to have no contact with Miss Tucker. His attorney, Mitch Mowell, did not immediately return calls for comment yesterday.
Police are also investigating whether Mr. Sutton added ProstaMate to a glass of water he gave Miss Tucker three days earlier. Miss Tucker told police the water tasted odd and that she felt sick, but attributed the feeling to being pregnant. She did not seek medical treatment after drinking the water.
“It’s an unthinkable type of situation,” Kent County Sheriff’s Sgt. Glenn M. Owens said.
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