Charge against activist over alleged threat to bomb Planned Parenthood is reduced to misdemeanor

ST. LOUIS • The Circuit Attorney's Office has reduced to a misdemeanor its terrorist threat charge against an anti-abortion activist arrested Dec. 31 for allegedly telling a Planned Parenthood employee that there were bombs in the building.

Prosecutors on Friday filed a misdemeanor count of making a terrorist threat against John P. Ryan, 64, of the 1900 block of Patricia Lane in Pacific. A felony count of making such a threat was dismissed.

Ryan's lawyer, Brad Blake, said he doesn't know why the charge was reduced but said Ryan passed a polygraph test and is innocent. A spokeswoman for Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner would only say that further investigation revealed that a misdemeanor was a more appropriate charge based on the facts of the case.

The new criminal charge against Ryan says that on Dec. 31 he told an employee who was walking into the clinic at 4251 Forest Park Avenue that there were multiple bombs in the building.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/charge-against-activist-over-alleged-threat-to-bomb-planned-parenthood/article_a3e58931-921f-5e88-87e0-5d35caf4b537.html