Sentenced: Rebecca Houck Arrested For Throwing Fetus Away In Ohio Motel Trash Can

[Sugar Cookie]

An Ohio woman was arrested after being charged related to an incident where a fetus was found in a motel trash can.

Rebecca Houck, 31, was indicted in March 2021 by a Warren County grand jury on a charge of gross abuse of a corpse, a fifth-degree felony. The charge stems from an Oct. 9, 2020, incident in which the fetus was found dead at Motel 75 in Monroe, Ohio.

The fetus was 23 to 27 weeks, according to the Warren County Coroner’s Office report — not as far along as first believed. But, the evidence could not prove the girl was born alive.

“It was still considered to be viable, but you didn’t have evidence of a live birth,” said Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell at the time of the indictment. “Based on our evidence, we believe she intentionally ordered a drug online to essentially induce an abortion.”

That is not a criminal offense if the mother does it, even if it was done post-viability, he said.

“The only crime we had was dumping the baby girl in the trash can,” Fornshell said.

Houck’s case was assigned to a Warren County Common Pleas Judge and a warrant was issued for her arrest. She was not found until her arrest June 1 in Hamilton on a charge of possession of drug abuse instruments, according to Hamilton County court records.

Woman arrested after allegedly throwing fetus away in Ohio motel trash can

Ohio woman Rebecca Houck arrested on charges related to an incident where a fetus was found in a motel trash can.

www.courttv.com

A woman involved in a police pursuit Wednesday was at-large on previous charges stemming from a 2021 incident in which she allegedly threw away a fetus.

A Warren County grand jury indicted 31-year-old Rebecca Houck, of Hamilton, on March 1, 2021 on a felony count of disposing of a human corpse.

According to the Enquirer, investigators believe the drug that ultimately killed the fetus was Cytotec. Cytotec, per the FDA, is used to reduce the risk of NSAID-induced gastric ulcers. The FDA warns the drug should not be taken by pregnant women.

A warrant was issued for Houck’s arrest. Court documents show she remained at-large prior to the chase Wednesday.

That chase, according to police, began around 3:30 p.m. in the parking lot of a Frisch’s Big Boy on Hamilton Avenue in Springfield Township.

Officers tried to stop a 37-year-old man named Brandon Sasser on an open felony warrant. Police say Sasser had multiple open warrants from several jurisdictions.

Houck was Sasser’s passenger in a 2005 Ford Focus.

Sasser refused to stop. He led officers on a 16-minute chase from the Frisch’s to eastbound I-275 to southbound I-75.

The pursuit ended in Lockland, police say. Officers arrested both Sasser and Houck.

Houck is currently at the Hamilton County Justice Center on a charge of possessing drug abuse instruments stemming from Wednesday. A bench trial is scheduled for June 14.

Sasser was hospitalized following the pursuit. Police do not have a timeframe for his release. He faces new charges of failure to comply and driving with a suspended license.

Hamilton woman, wanted on charge of throwing away fetus, caught after police chase

Rebecca Houck was indicted in Warren County last March.

www.fox19.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Mar 02, 2023

A woman accused of throwing a fetus into a Monroe motel trash can has entered into intervention in lieu of conviction plea.

Rebecca Houck, 32, was indicted in March 2021 for gross abuse of a corpse, a fifth-degree felony. The charge stems from an Oct. 9, 2020, incident in which the fetus was found dead.

The fetus was 23 to 27 weeks, according to the Warren County Coroner’s Office report — not as far along as first believed. The evidence could not prove the girl was born alive.

“It was still considered to be viable, but you didn’t have evidence of a live birth,” said Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell at the time of the indictment. “The only crime we had was dumping the baby girl in the trash can.”

Houck was in common pleas Judge Tim Tepe’s courtroom in January when her defense team requested the intervention motion after their attempt to get the charge dismissed was overruled.

The defense team indicated drug or alcohol usage by Houck as a factor leading to the crime, according to court documents.

Intervention in lieu of conviction means an eligible defendant pleads guilty but agrees to a treatment plan as ordered by the court. If the defendant successfully completes the intervention plan, the judge dismisses the case.

Tepe accepted Houck’s guilty plea and ordered her to comply with an intervention program recommended by the probation department.

Houck will be on community control for three to five years and is ordered to have no alcohol in her residence, undergo and complete alcohol/drug treatment program, successfully complete a mental health treatment, pay fine, court costs and restitution and attend all prenatal care appointments for current pregnancy, according to court documents.

Woman pleads guilty to throwing fetus in hotel trash can, agrees to treatment to nix conviction

Intervention in lieu of conviction means an eligible defendant pleads guilty but agrees to a treatment plan as ordered by the court.

www.wcpo.com