Man Gets 10 Years For Abortion Clinic Arson

October 5, 2012

An Escambia County man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Wednesday for the New Year’s Day arson of a Pensacola reproductive health clinic.

Bobby Joe Rogers, 41, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Casey M. Rogers  to 120 months for starting the fire that destroyed the American Family Planning Clinic on North Ninth Avenue on January 1.

After his release from prison, Rogers was ordered to stay away from reproductive health clinics and the staff of those facilities.

“This defendant destroyed this clinic because of its lawful work in providing reproductive health services,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “Such violent extremism will not be tolerated. The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously prosecute interference with services provided by the health community.”

Rogers set the fire using a 32-ounced beer bottle filled with gasoline and a wick made from an old shirt. After tossing the device and watching it burst into flames on the back of the clinic, he went across the street to an abandoned car wash to make sure fire was going strong.

According to court records, Rogers’ criminal history included arrests in Florida, Alabama and seven other states, plus felony convictions in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee for burglary, and in Mississippi for grand larceny.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News