Newswriting and Reporting II
ABORTION CLINIC FIRE IN PENSACOLA, FL
A 41 year old homeless man in Pensacola, Florida was charged with setting fire to an abortion clinic. Authorities say he acted out of rage after seeing a woman enter the clinic. He is currently being held in the Escambia County Jail in the Florida Panhandle region. If convicted, Rogers could face up to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors say the man told investigators that he went to the Pensacola clinic of American Family Planning around midnight on New Year’s Eve. Rogers was armed with a fire bomb which he crafted from a 32-ounce beer bottle and gasoline with a wick made from an old shirt. Rogers told Pensacola authorities that he lit the bomb, threw it against the abortion clinic, and watched it burst into flames. Rogers went to an abandoned car wash across the street until he was certain the fire was going.
The affidavit states, “He stayed at the car wash long enough to make sure the fire was going. He recalled hearing crackling and popping as the fire progressed. The homeless man has a long criminal history that includes arrests in 9 states: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Florida. The affidavit said he has felony convictions for burglary in Alabama, Missouri and Tennessee.
Jail records list no address for Rogers, but investigators say he is from Pensacola, FL. The clinic has been attacked in the past. On Christmas Day in 1984, it was bombed, and in 1994 a doctor and volunteer who escorted patients to and from the clinic were shot to death as they arrived.
Those who spent time with Rogers said he wandered around town and stayed at the convenience store. He apparently travels the country on freight trains.
Rogers had a preliminary hearing on Thursday. He waived his right to detention hearing and to a preliminary hearing. He agreed to be represented by a federal public defender’s office.
Records indicate that he was arrested on December 12, 2009 on vehicle theft charges. Art Forgery, a spokesman for the Alachua County Sheriff’s office, said Rogers spent three months in the Alachua County Jail for the fire.
Rogers and another man were pulled over driving stolen 1994 Mercury Sable in 2009. The arresting officer wrote in his report that he could see open containers of beer in the car driver side and passenger side. The driver had a suspended license. Both men were arrested on grand theft auto charges. The 2009 arrest report spells Rogers last name as “Rodgers.”
The affidavit shows that Rogers has felony convictions in Alabama, Tennessee, and Missouri for burglary and in Mississippi for grand larceny.
