Drug identified in miscarriage case

LOS ANGELES, April 19 (UPI) -- Los Angeles police say they have new evidence in the case of a restaurateur accused of using a white powder to induce the miscarriage of his then-girlfriend.

Joshua Woodward, 37, co-owner of two Table 8 restaurants in the Los Angeles area, was arrested in October 2009 after his girlfriend, whose name has not been reported, told police he smeared a white power on her shortly before she miscarried, ABC News reported Monday.

Woodward attempted to dispose of a bag of white powder when arrested in October, police said. He was released without charges as police attempted to identify the power.

"It came back earlier this week that it (the bag police allegedly found on Woodward) did test positive for misoprostol," Capt. Fabian Lizarraga, commanding officer of the juvenile division at the LAPD, said.

Misoprostol, once used to treat peptic ulcers, carries a black box warning about the dangers of inducing a miscarriage by starting uterine contractions.

No charges have been filed.

"We deny the police representations that they have evidence against Josh," Woodward's lawyer, Mark Werksman, said.

"I don't know what the police are claiming because they haven't released any reports," Werksman said. "All we know is that Josh Woodward didn't do anything to harm anyone here, and we see no evidence of it."