Posted on 11/29/2007 1:41:07 PM PST by Cagey
APPLETON, Wis. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a married man they say caused his girlfriend to miscarry twice by slipping her an abortion drug.
Manishkumar M. Patel, 34, of Appleton, 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, Outagamie County sheriff's Capt. Michael Jobe said at a news conference. 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 Nov. 1. 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, however, would not say what charges they intended to file.
Patel's attorney, Thomas Zoesch of Appleton, declined to comment Thursday, saying he hadn't seen the criminal complaint.
The man had been living in a house owned by the woman, Jobe said. It wasn't clear where his wife was.
Sheriff's investigators said the man admitted putting the drug in something the woman consumed without her knowledge. Jobe didn't say how she ingested the drug.
Wow. This could be big news. If they prosecute for anything other than attempted poisoning this could mean an actual legal precidence, no? How far along was she?
Mr. Patel is an idiot, what more can you say.
Nahh. It’s been the law for quite a while that an unborn baby can be protected if the mother wants the baby.
Only if the “mother” doesn’t want the baby are protections unconstitutional.
According to the Post Crescent, Authorities are seeking homicide charges.
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071129/APC0101/71129075
Because of copyright complaints I could not post the Post Crescent article.
Authorities today said the case might be the first of its kind in the country.
Only because of the type of mechanism used to cause the miscarriage.
Physical assault resulting in the loss of a child has been successfully prosecuted many times.
That makes sense.
My friends and I have often debated that possibly one of the best ways to get rid of abortion is to argue the Constitutionality under the 14th amendment. IMO, this would be a wonderful case of equal protection.
The law only is valid for those who are desirable ... Very Nazi-esque!
Would be nice.
Not gonna happen.
Under Roe, a wanted fetus is a person. An unwanted fetus is a mass of cells, with no more rights than a tumor or hangnail.
Maybe it’s caused by being named Manishkumar by his parents.
IIRC, a family with that name gave airline reservationists outrageous fits with fraud in the SFO area during the 80s.
This case may have legs....
Misleading headline by the Associated Press.
Manishkumar M. Patel may, indeed, reside in Appleton, Wisconsin, but no one named Manishkumar M. Patel should ever be called a Wisconsin man.
The woman is also an idiot.
Can’t tell if he is an ‘idiot’ but he truly is an evil fck who needs to spend a long long time in prison.
You can say that the girlfriend of the married Mr. Patel isn't too bright, either ... she was wronged, sure: but damn. Look at the situation.
“Patel” is like “Smith” or “Jones”.
I predicted this type of action YEARS ago when the drug was first released onto the public.
Gee, sounds like a nice guy.
This goes to prove once again that abortion exists for MEN. It’s men who want abortion, not women.
How many more women have suffered at the hands of monsters like this? It sounds so very easy.
Gee, sounds like a nice guy.
This goes to prove once again that abortion exists for MEN. It’s men who want abortion, not women.
How many more women have suffered at the hands of monsters like this? It sounds so very easy.
Updated version at Yahoo:
Authorities charged a married man Thursday with slipping his girlfriend an abortion drug that caused her to miscarry twice.
Manishkumar M. Patel, 34, of Appleton, was charged with seven felonies and two misdemeanors, including attempted first-degree murder of an unborn child, stalking, burglary and two counts of violating a restraining order.
His attorney, Thomas Zoesch, said he expected his client to plead not guilty.
Patel and his girlfriend, 39-year-old family physician Darshana Patel, have a 3-year-old child together, authorities said. They are not related, and he is married to someone else; Patel is a common Indian last name.
Darshana Patel became pregnant two more times but miscarried in December and September, Outagamie County sheriff’s Capt. Michael Jobe said.
A week or two before her second miscarriage, Manishkumar Patel bought her a smoothie at an ice cream shop, Sheriff’s Sgt. Ryan Carpenter said. Darshana Patel noticed white powder on the rim and, feigning illness, took the drink back to her office.
Suspecting she had been slipped mifespristone, the abortion pill also known as RU-486, Darshana Patel sent a sample of the smoothie to a California lab for analysis, Carpenter said.
When it tested positive for the drug, she approached the sheriff’s department Nov. 1. Manishkumar Patel was arrested Wednesday.
Court Commissioner Brian Figy ordered Patel held on $750,000 bail after prosecutor Mark Schroeder said he had a net worth of $400,000 and investigators found evidence he had been looking at flights to Germany.
“The allegations are devious, diabolical and disturbing,” Figy said. “Extraordinary cases deserve extraordinary care.”
A legal immigrant from India, Manishkumar Patel owns gas stations and other businesses in the Appleton area, Carpenter said.
Carpenter did not know where Patel’s wife was but said investigators do not believe she’s in the area.
Patel told investigators he gave his girlfriend the drug but would not give them details on how he did it, Carpenter said. Investigators believe he got the drug outside the U.S. because it must be obtained here from a doctor and taken in the doctor’s office, he said.
Wisconsin is one of 37 states with a fetal homicide law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Under the 1998 law, anyone who attacks a pregnant woman and injures or kills her fetus could face life in prison.
At least six people have been charged with a crime under the law since 1998, according to Susan Armacost, legislative director for Wisconsin Right to Life. The group tracks use of the law through media reports, so Armacost said it’s possible there are more cases.
(This version CORRECTS that the woman sent the drink for testing, not a blood sample.)
Ping!
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