Waller – Maria Rojas, the Houston area midwife indicted in June on 15 felony counts of performing illegal abortion and practicing medicine without a license, appeared in Waller County court before Judge Gary Chaney on Friday.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office announced Rojas’ arrest in March. The case received national attention because the arrest was the first-of-its-kind since Texas enacted a near-total abortion ban.
On Friday, there was a status check on Rojas’s criminal case. Rojas appeared composed and quiet in court.
She is represented by attorney Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube.
Lesleigh Morton was in court on Friday as the prosecutor on behalf of the AG’s office.
At the center of the status check was evidence.
Morton said three batches of discovery had been turned over to the defense and another batch will be turned over on Friday. About a third of all the discovery has been given to the defense so far, according to Morton.
Earlier this week, Hochglaube filed a formal request for discovery outlining all the missing items, including grand jury testimony, surveillance videos, search warrant and digital forensic data.
“We believe that she did not commit a crime and we look forward to doing everything we can to get to the truth in this matter,” Hochglaube told KPRC 2 after court on Friday.
The last time Rojas was in Waller County court was for a hearing on a temporary injunction to keep her medical clinics closed. A judge ruled in favor of keeping them shut.
“It’s very hard, of course, to be accused of a crime, especially when we believe that the crime is not is not there,” said Hochglaube.
Rojas’s next court date is set for January 7.
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