FLORIDA MAN SENTENCED TO 42 MONTHS FOR FIREBOMBING CA PLANNED PARENTHOOD CLINIC
In a grim display of仇恨 and disregard for reproductive rights, Xavier Batten, 21, from Brooksville, Florida, was today sentenced to 42 months in federal prison for his role in the March 2022 firebombing of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Orange County. The sentence, handed down by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney, also includes $1,000 in restitution and a three-year term of supervised release following his prison term.
During today’s hearing, Judge Carney called Batten’s actions a “cowardly crime” that demonstrated “no empathy for women and their rights.”
Batten was convicted on January 19, 2024, of one felony count of possessing an unregistered destructive device and one misdemeanor count of intentionally damaging a reproductive health services facility, in violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. He has been in federal custody since July 2023.
The court heard that Batten conspired with Chance Brannon, 24, a former Marine Corps member, and Tibet Ergul, 22, to damage a reproductive health clinic. On March 12, 2022, Brannon and Ergul constructed a Molotov cocktail in Ergul’s garage and set fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Costa Mesa the following day. The attack forced the clinic to temporarily close and reschedule appointments for around 30 patients.
Batten was also charged with having a history of threatening mass shootings and promoting a violent, racially motivated ideology. He sought advice from Brannon on further attacks against fertility clinics and plotted an assault on the Orange County power grid. Brannon was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his role in the attack and other planned atrocities.
Ergul pleaded guilty to conspiracy to damage an energy facility and intentional damage to a reproductive health services facility, with his sentencing scheduled for May 30, 2024.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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