4 convicted in connection with 2021 Mt. Juliet abortion clinic blockade
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Four people were found guilty Tuesday of charges related to the blockade of a Mt. Juliet reproductive health care clinic three years ago, officials said.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), a federal judge found Eva Edl, Eva Zastrow, James Zastrow, and Paul Place guilty of a violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
The evidence presented at trial proved these four individuals violated the FACE Act on March 5, 2021, by “using physical obstruction over the course of several hours to interfere with the clinic’s employees and a patient, because the clinic was providing, and the patient sought, reproductive health services,” the DOJ explained.
The four defendants and other protesters allegedly filled the interior hallway to the clinic, which was located on the second floor of a medical building. In addition, the defendants positioned themselves directly in front of the main clinic door for more than two hours, physically blocking access to the clinic and preventing patients from accessing it, according to officials.
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The Mt. Juliet Police Department reportedly asked the protesters to leave or move multiple times, but after more than two hours, a number of individuals — including the four defendants convicted this week — were arrested.
The DOJ said Edl, Eva Zastrow, James Zastrow, and Place face a maximum of six months in prison, five years of supervised release, and fines of up to $10,000.
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This news comes just over two months after the DOJ announced six other people — Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Calvin Zastrow, Coleman Boyd, Paul Vaughn, and Dennis Green — were convicted of felony conspiracy against rights and a FACE Act offense
Officials said this case, which was investigated by the Nashville resident agency of the FBI, is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee and the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.
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