Judge Jails Santa Barbara Man for Kansas Abortion Protests

A federal judge handed out prison sentences to three anti-abortion demonstrators on Monday, then tossed out two of the sentences when the protesters promised to obey his order against blockading women’s clinics.

Eight others were cleared of contempt and freed.

U.S. District Judge Patrick F. Kelly sentenced Richard A. Czekaj of Santa Barbara, Calif., to four months for contempt, for taking a leadership role and directing protesters to block a car in front of a clinic.

Czekaj was jailed after he said obeying the court order would violate his religious beliefs.

Kelly had sentenced Paul F. Rosell, 33, of Wichita, to a year in prison for directing children to lie in front of moving vehicles at the clinics, but lifted the term when Rosell said he would obey the anti-blockade order.

Kelly said he would urge prosecutors to consider child endangerment charges against Rosell.

“It is despicable in my mind and it goes beyond the bounds of any protest,” the judge said.

Royce Ray Lower, 37, of Wichita was sentenced to 180 days in jail but was freed when attorney Paul Dugan promised that Lower would heed the order.

“Mr. Dugan, I can only say, those are the most refreshing words I’ve heard in three weeks,” Kelly said.

In the cases of the other protesters, the judge found there was insufficient evidence to support contempt findings.

The 11 people were among 12 members of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue who were arrested at a protest outside a clinic Friday. The case of the 12th will be heard today.

As the judge questioned the demonstrators before a packed courtroom, about 200 more protesters sang hymns and prayed outside the courthouse.

The group began its “Summer of Mercy” campaign on July 15 because the clinic is one of only a few nationwide that perform late-term abortions. Police and federal marshals have made more than 2,000 arrests, mostly on trespassing charges. Many protesters have been arrested repeatedly.

A leader of the group, the Rev. Pat Mahoney, said Sunday that the national organization’s leaders would leave this city of 300,000 after an Aug. 25 rally and turn the movement over to a coalition of local anti-abortion groups and churches. About 3,000 anti-abortion supporters attended a rally Sunday afternoon.

There were no protests at the city’s abortion clinics Monday.