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Aug. 16 (UPI) -- An Illinois man who admitted to setting a Planned Parenthood facility on fire after becoming angry over memories that a former partner of his had aborted their child was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years behind bars. Tyler W. Massengill, 33, of Chillicothe, Ill., pleaded guilty in mid-February to charges of malicious use of fire and an explosive to damage and attempt to damage the healthcare facility in Peoria early this year.
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The Justice Department announced his sentencing in a statement, saying Massengill has also be ordered to pay $1.45 million in restitution. He is also sentenced to three years' supervised release.
Prosecutors said Massengill was behind the arson attack of the Planned Parenthood Peoria Health Center on the night of Jan. 15, which resulted in at least one firefighter sustaining non-life-threatening injuries and more than $1 million in damages.
The criminal complaint states that Massengill was identified as responsible for the attack via surveillance footage that captured his white pickup truck with an off-color door in the vicinity of the healthcare facility at the time of the attack and tips from the public.
After police published images of the pickup seeking the public's help in identifying its owner, several tips came in, including one informing authorities of the vehicle's license plate and another from a woman who said she had Massengill's truck in her Sparland, Ill., garage.
The woman had told police that a day after the arson attack, Massengill had arrived at her residence and asked her to keep his truck in her garage and repaint its doors for $300, according to the court document.
The truck was then seized by police. A day later, Massengill called the Peoria Police Department stating he wanted to discuss the attack.
After initially denying responsibility, he told police he broke the facility's window and placed a burning container inside.
He told police that three years prior, his then-girlfriend had become pregnant with their child but had opted to abort it. He said that on the day of his attack, something had reminded him of the abortion and made him angry.
"Massengill also told investigators he thought that if his actions the night of Jan. 15, 2023, caused 'a little delay' in a person receiving services at the PHC, his conduct may have been 'all worth it.'"
He was arrested and charged Jan. 25.
Planned Parenthood Illinois said that justice had been served Tuesday and "a powerful message" has been sent that acts of violence against its facilities will not be tolerated.
"When someone attacks one of our health centers they do more than damage a building. They rob the community of essential sexual and reproductive healthcare like birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings and gender-affirming care," Jennifer Welch, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood Illinois, said in a statement.
"We stand in solidarity with the community in Peoria that continues to heal from this traumatic event."
Though no patients or staff were injured in the late night attack, it cost more than $1 million to rebuild the facility that is to reopen early next year.
"In January, the Peoria community had to face the horror of a disgusting attack on a Planned Parenthood clinic that provides important reproductive care to thousands of our Central Illinois neighbors," Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., said in a statement.
"Violent attacks against Planned Parenthood clinics or against those who provide or receive this essential healthcare have no place in our society."
The attack against the Peoria clinic occurred amid in increase of such violence directed against abortion facilities.
It also came as Republicans nationwide pushed to either restrict or ban the medical practice following last summer's conservative-leaning Supreme Court's removal of federal protections for abortion with the repealing of Roe vs. Wade.
In May, the National Abortion Federation published a report that documented an increase in violence directed toward abortion providers and clinics last year, including incidents of arson, burglaries, death threats and invasions and a sharp increase in violence and disruptions in states that protect abortion rights.
"Massengill's actions represent the very real threat posed by extremists in our communities," Special Agent in Charge David Nanz of the FBI Springfield Field Office said Tuesday.
"Protecting the American people from such extremists remains a top priority for the FBI and our team remains laser-focused on identifying, investigating and disrupting individuals who cross the line from expressing protected speech to violating federal law."
