Southwest
DOJ worker faces capital murder charge for allegedly slipping abortion drug into pregnant girlfriend's drink
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A Justice Department worker was charged with capital murder for allegedly slipping an abortion drug into his pregnant girlfriend’s drink without her consent, forcing her to lose her baby, police said.
Justin Banta, a 38-year-old information technology staffer, was taken into custody Friday following an incident that unfolded at a coffee shop in Tarrant County, Texas, last October, according to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office.
“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,” police said.
In addition to a capital murder charge from the Texas Rangers, Banta was booked on one count of tampering with physical evidence. The Justice Department did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
TEXAS MAN ARRESTED FOR FATAL BEATING OF MOTHER DURING ‘EXORCISM’: POLICE
Justin Banta, 38, was arrested by the Parker County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, June 6, 2025.
The victim told investigators that she and Banta were in a “romantic relationship” in September 2024 when she discovered she was pregnant, the Parker County Sheriff’s Office said.
“The victim informed Banta of the pregnancy, who proposed to cover the cost [of] an abortion and suggested they order the ‘Plan C’ online. The victim informed Banta of her desire to keep the baby,” police added. “On Oct. 17, 2024, when the victim was approximately six-weeks pregnant, she went for a sonogram, where she learned the baby had a strong heartbeat, displayed good vital signs and was said to be healthy by her doctor.”
The woman said she then met Banta at a coffee shop later that day. Charging documents said Banta gave the victim a drink he purchased prior to her arrival, KDFW reported, adding that security camera footage showed she consumed the entire beverage.
“The next day, the victim stated she began to suffer from extreme fatigue and heavy bleeding, prompting her to visit the emergency room. The victim reported she lost her baby on Oct. 19, which she believed was a result of the drugs Banta had previously placed in her drink at the coffee shop without her permission,” according to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office.
SUSPECT ACCUSED OF STABBING TEXAS MAN 55 TIMES IDENTIFIED BY BLOODY SHOE PRINT
Justin Banta is an IT worker for the Department of Justice, the Parker County Sheriff’s Office said. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)
Police said they interviewed Banta and collected his cell phone as evidence. During the interview, Banta admitted to buying the abortion drugs on his phone and said he knew investigators wanted to talk to him about the woman’s miscarriage, according to KDFW.
“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 sheriff’s office said.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Banta was released from the Parker County Jail on Friday after posting a $500,000 bond for the capital murder charge and a $20,000 bond for the evidence-tampering charge, KDFW reported.
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A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
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A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
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