Victory for Maryland 18 - All Charges Dropped
by Staff
August 22, 2008
BEL AIR, Maryland, (christiansunite.com) -- All charges have been dropped against the eighteen pro-lifers who were unjustly arrested on August 1, 2008, during the Maryland Face the Truth Tour.Harford County's State Attorney Joe Cassilly dismissed the charges earlier this week against eight adults and ten teenagers, who had been arrested without warning during a peaceful public pro-life testimony in Bel Air, Maryland, during the last stop on a tour sponsored by Defend Life.
While none of those taken into custody were told why they were being arrested, they were later charged with loitering, failure to obey a lawful order, and disorderly conduct.
"This decision by the State of Maryland to drop the charges shows that our side of the story was the true story," said Defend Life Director Jack Ames, who was among those arrested. "There were no traffic jams. There were no people running in and out of traffic. There was no refusal to disperse. They plainly and simply violated our First Amendment rights!"
Legal options are being explored.
"We congratulate the courageous men and women with Defend Life on having their unjust charges dropped. This is a tremendous victory for those arrested in Maryland as well as for the innocent children for which we advocate," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who had attended the Maryland Face the Truth Tour prior to the arrests. "Every now and then we see rogue police officers who think they can inflict their personal biases on the public without regard to the law. This kind of injustice is a type of tyranny that cannot be allowed to stand."
About Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.
