Suspect charged in Peoria Planned Parenthood fire bombing
Planned Parenthood of Illinois estimates the costs to restore the center after the attack will be more than $1 million. It’s expected the building will be closed for months. Joe Deacon/WCBU
Late on January 15, the Peoria Fire Department arrived at the city's Planned Parenthood to find fire and smoke showing from one of the front windows. The department put out the fire within an hour. Nobody was in the building when the fire happened, though one firefighter did get taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Last week, Tyler Massengill of Chillecothe, Ill., was charged in federal court in Peoria for malicious use of fire and an explosive to damage a property used for interstate commerce. Reportedly, he told investigators that if his actions caused “a little delay” in obtaining services from the clinic, they may have been “all worth it.” The clinic does not perform surgical abortions but it does provide abortion pills and other services. If Massengill is convicted, he could face up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to a quarter million dollars.
To discuss the case, we were joined by a Peoria journalist who's been following the story.
GUEST:
Tim Shelley
News Director, WCBU Radio, Peoria
Prepared for web by Owen Henderson
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