(Live Action) — A married father of five from Gig Harbor, Washington, is facing charges for allegedly attempting to abort his own child without his mistress’s knowledge. He is facing charges of second-degree assault, third-degree rape, tampering with a witness, and five counts of violation of a court order. His wife is also facing charges.

David Coots, 42, was arrested on March 11 for allegedly inserting several abortion-causing pills into his mistress’ body during sex, according to People. Coots is a nurse and was the primary care provider for his alleged victim. He is accused of persistently pursuing a sexual relationship with her after she became his patient in January 2023. They then began an affair in September of 2023 when he told her he would be divorcing his wife.

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However, the alleged victim learned she was pregnant in January, and, according to court documents, when she told Coots about the baby, he acted “overly supportive.” However, she later noticed behavior that led her to believe he was attempting to cause her to have an abortion.

She told police that she thinks his first attempt to abort the baby took place on January 26 when he tried to force her to drink a coffee. She thinks that the drink may have been drugged. The next day, during sex, she said he was “abnormally aggressive” and doing things to her that he “has never done before.” She stated that she was uncomfortable. She also said he tried to prevent her from going to the bathroom after sex and then asked her not to leave the home that day.

After he left for the night, she went to the bathroom and discovered a pill on the toilet paper she had used. Later, she found a second pill along with “some kind of foil.” When she asked him about it, he refused to respond at first, but later he allegedly admitted that the pills cause pregnancy loss and that he had inserted four of them into her body during sex. The charges against Coots appear to indicate that the woman did not lose the baby.

In an attempt to prevent her from going to the police, Coots allegedly gave her a $2,000 check, which she returned.

Then, according to People, on February 1, Melissa Coots, Coots’ wife, contacted the alleged victim and went to her home after the woman refused to speak to her. Melissa Coots told her that telling the police what happened would destroy everyone’s lives, even hers.

By February 5, she said Coots was “relentlessly” messaging her, but was served a protection order that same day to prevent him from further contacting her.

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On March 11, the victim said he contacted her again and left gifts and flowers at her home “professing his love for her.” This led to his arrest for violation of the protection order.

“Even after the Court ordered him to have no contact with me, David has continued to make repeated contacts,” she wrote in a letter to the court. “Starting with emails that warned me to be careful of who I am listening and talking to, and now recently showing up to my sister-in-law’s house knowing my brother was not home to drop off the letter addressed to me, money, gifts, and my house key. His boldness in these increasing contacts is terrifying, and I don’t know what, if anything, will make him stop.”

Coots was released on a $500,000 bond and entered not guilty pleas. Melissa Coots was charged with tampering with a witness and will appear in court on March 29.

Coots’ employer, MultiCare Health System, told Fox 13 News that he is no longer an employee.

Reprinted with permission from Live Action.