David Benjamin Coots hid abortion pills inside his girlfriend, deputies claim. Coots, a nurse practitioner, met her while she sought medical help at MultiCare Health System in Tacoma, Washington, authorities said. (Image of Coots: Facebook; image of the hospital: Google Maps)
After displaying enthusiasm for his girlfriend’s pregnancy, a married nurse practitioner sneaked abortion pills inside her while having intercourse, according to deputies in Washington state. Now, the woman is fearing for her safety after the defendant, David Benjamin Coots, allegedly kept violating the protection order she put out against him.
“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 is charged with assault in the second degree, rape in the third degree, tampering with a witness, and five counts of violation of a court order. His wife, Melissa Marie Coots, is also charged with witness tampering. The married couple allegedly tried to buy the victim’s silence.
“It’s clear by his actions and words that he thinks he can do whatever he wants,” the woman wrote in her letter to the court. “He and his wife have already sent me money (which I sent back) to get me to not come forward.”
According to documents, she met Coots while seeking medical help at MultiCare Health System in Tacoma, Washington. They became friends and started a relationship. She eventually discovered he was married, but Coots insisted that he and his wife were divorcing, documents said.
Then, the woman discovered she might have been pregnant. Five pregnancy tests returned positive, and one was inconclusive, she said in documents.
In speaking to investigators, the woman described Coots as “overly supportive” on learning she might have been pregnant.
“She said David was aware that she may be pregnant and at one point asked her what type of stroller they should get,” documents said. “She confirmed that she was planning on keeping the baby and raising it with David. She claimed that there was never any discussions about terminating the pregnancy.”
But then, on Jan. 27, during intercourse, Coots allegedly used his fingers on her privates “farther and harder” than usual.
He began acting strange after that, making sure she stayed home that night, documents said.
When he left for the night, the woman “noticed a pill fall from her vagina.”
According to the woman, Coots admitted to putting four pills inside her. These were tablets for misoprostol, which can be used to perform an abortion.
After a medical event that involved abnormal bleeding, she took a pregnancy test that returned negative.
She saw a doctor, who said that a miscarriage could cause the bleeding.
“She said the doctor did not know if the miscarriage was caused by the medication,” documents stated. “The doctor also could not confirm whether there had previously been a pregnancy or a miscarriage.”
Amid the sexual assault and the victim’s medical troubles, Coots and his wife, Melissa, started to constantly show up at her home, trying to pay her to abstain from legal and medical help “as they did not want their lives ruined,” documents said.
No longer feeling safe at home — David had keys — she went somewhere else to stay, though Coots tried to reach out, authorities said.
Coots was served a protection order on Feb. 6, but he nonetheless emailed the victim on Feb. 17, 19, 23, and twice on the 24th, documents said.
From docs:
In these emails, COOTS expressed his feelings for D.H. and his remorse. He stated things like, “What I would give to hold you again,” “I’m deathly afraid, afraid of losing you, afraid of what you can do to me,” “I am dying inside for even a little time with you, even just a call,” and “But I will also respect what you want. If you want me to walk away I will.”
He allegedly violated the protection order on Monday, showing up at her brother’s home with flowers, a letter, and a copy of the key to her own home. He allegedly texted her to read the letter.
From documents:
The letter was typed, single-spaced, and over seven pages. In this letter COOTS again expresses his love for D.H. and his remorse. COOTS stated, “Here is your key. I want you to know I would never use it without your permission. . . Giving it to you feels so final and sad for me . . . I vainly hope you will return it and allow me to be a part of your life.” Additionally, he states things like “The hardest thing i can possibly imagine is losing you and I fear I already have,” “Please tell me to leave you alone if that is what you want. I have a dense skull and heart which years for you, “[REDACTED], do to me what you want. If you want money, well I am offering myself and everything I can give, my life to you.”
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