Pro-Choice Violence in Arkansas

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Pro-Choice Violence and Illegal Activities in Arkansas

El DoradoLittle RockMagnoliaMarshall

El Dorado, Arkansas

Performing an Unlawful Abortion, First-Degree Attempted Criminal Battery, PossessingMedication without Proper Documentation and Performing an Abortion without a License

Gee, we thought that Roe v. Wade was going to get rid of all of those unqualified abortionists! Atleast, that was what the pro-choicers kept telling us way back then. But, as this database proves, manyunscrupulous and unqualified people are still performing abortions. As long as there is money to bemade doing evil things, no amount of law-loosening is going to change that.

Tracye Summerville was a registered nurse working for the El Dorado office of the Arkansas

Department of Health. In August 2010, she performed an illegal abortion on a 20-year-old woman wholived in the town. She was arrested and charged with performing an unlawful abortion, first-degreeattempted criminal battery, possessing medication without proper documentation and performing anabortion without a license.

Reference: John Worthen. RN Charged with Performing Unlawful Abortion. El Dorado News-Times, August 18, 2010.

Little Rock, Arkansas

Capital Murder (4 counts), Aggravated Assault, Assault (2 counts) and First - Degree Battery (4counts)

Erik Bullock did not want the baby his girlfriend, Shawana Pace, was carrying. So he hired three

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thugs to beat her up and kill her baby. The thugs kicked her repeatedly in the belly and killed her baby,which was almost full-term.

Pace, who was due to give birth any day, pleaded for the baby's life as she was kicked, choked andhit on August 26, 1999. One of the attackers told her "Your baby is dying tonight."

Pace saw her dead child and named the little girl Heaven. "She was a perfect baby, almost 7 pounds.It was like she was just sleeping," Pace said in her hospital room, where she was recovering from surgery

to remove her spleen. She also suffered a broken left wrist, black eye and bruised face.Police said Bullock hired three of his friends Eric Beulah, Derrick Lamont Witherspoon and

Lonnie Beulah to stage a 'robbery' at his house. Police said all three later implicated Bullock in theattack. According to a police affidavit, Witherspoon said "his brother Eric told him that Bullock wantedthem to do something to Pace that would get rid of the baby."

Beulah said Bullock even invited along two women, one who testified earlier in the trial that she sawthe money for the assault passed out to the killers. "Everybody was pretty much in a party mood. Somepeople were drunk," Beulah said.

Bullock and the three youths were charged with capital murder, in the first test of Arkansas' newFetal Protection Law. On February 8, 2001, a jury convicted Bullock of capital murder and he receivedan automatic life sentence since the prosecution did not seek the death penalty. He also was convicted offirst-degree battery, which carries a 20-year sentence.

Witherspoon's older brother, Erik Beulah, pleaded guilty in April 2001 to first-degree murder andfirst-degree battery and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. His younger brother, Lonnie Beulah,previously lost an attempt in the state Supreme Court to have his case moved to juvenile court.

On June 13, 2001, an appeals court ruled that Derrick Witherspoon should be tried as an adult eventhough he was 17 at the time of the attack. The Court of Appeals rejected Witherspoon's claim that thestate failed to show that the beating death was a "serious and violent" crime.

The fatal attack was not the first that Bullock had tried to set up. On August 9, he had arranged fortwo women to attack Pace at her home in Little Rock but had called the plan off when he discovered shewas not alone. The next night, he went to her house and the women attacked Pace while he was there,Johnson said. Pace testified she was ordered to lie on her kitchen floor and the women hit her in the faceand head. After her assailants left, "I went in the other room and Erik was just sitting on the couch,"Pace said. On August 26, Eric Beulah, whom Pace had dated some years earlier, was supposed to attackher in a parking garage as she left work at Regions Bank in downtown Little Rock, but too many people

were nearby.

References: Kristen Everett, the Associated Press. "Murder Charges in Fetus Death: Pregnant WomanSays Boyfriend Hired Three Men to Kick Her." September 2, 1999; "Life Notes: Unborn BabiesMurdered." Life in Oregon [Oregon Right to Life], December 1999-January 2000, page 7; Traci Shurley."Life Term Sought in Fetus Death." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, November 6 and 9, 2000; Post-Abortion Review, January-March 2000; "Arkansas Man Prosecuted Under Fetal Protection Law." Arkansas Democrat Gazette, February 8, 2001; Melissa Nelson. "Arkansas Man Convicted in FetusDeath." Associated Press, February 9, 2001;Pro-Life Infonet, February 9 and 11, 2001; Traci Shurley."Pine Bluff Man Pleads Guilty in Death of Fetus." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, April 3, 2001; "AppealsCourt: Try Man Accused of Beating Pregnant Woman, Killing Fetus as Adult." The TopekaCapital-Journal, June 14, 2001; "Arkansas Man Convicted in Unborn Victims of Violence Case."Associated Press, November 5, 2001; Pro-Life Infonet, November 13, 2001; Douglas Pils, AssociatedPress. "Abortion Foes to Argue Against Killer's Appeal." Memphis Commercial Appeal, December 13,2002.

Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Assault, Malpractice, Impersonating a Doctor, Improper

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Distribution of Prescription Drugs (6 incidents) and Income Tax Evasion

Abortionist Curtis Stover admitted to many of the charges laid against him by former employees.These charges included lack of a back-up hospital in violation of state law; operating without a nurse onduty; and improperly dispensing drugs and ordering prescription drugs for personal use. Stover wasreprimanded by the state medical board for performing abortions without hospital privileges or a backup

physician.Another employee stated that Stover hired a woman to pose as a registered nurse (RN) for an

inspection. In this woman's absence, other staff signed charts with her name; another nurse worked oneday a week but signed off on charts for abortions on other days; staff were instructed and permitted byStover to sign his name to prescriptions; and clerical staff were instructed to dispense medications.Another employee told an investigator that Stover designated his wife, an unlicensed person, as his "oncall doctor" while he was out of town.

Stover's wife, Diana, was convicted and incarcerated for conspiring to murder him. Diana evidentlycontended, unchallenged by her husband, that he "was engaged in income tax evasion and hiding hisassets from her and introducing drugs to her which caused her physical injury."

References: Supreme Court of Arkansas 696 S.W.2d 750 #85-50; Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,February 23 and March 6, 1992; and Perry County Circuit Court Case #CIV 87-105-A.

Rape and Forced Abortion [Bryant]

Pro-abortionists often sneer that pro-lifers never help women by standing outside their abortionmills. This story is just one of many that shows that the pro-abortionists are merely helping sexualoffenders, while the pro-lifers are the people who actually rescue the women and girls.

According to official police documents and media reports, the following events occurred in andaround Granite City, Illinois.

Jeffery Cheshire had been raping and sexually abusing his young stepdaughter for a year, andeventually she became pregnant. Fortunately for Cheshire, he had that great cover-up tool that allmolesters appreciate so much an abortion mill whose employees don't ask questions when a41-year-old man brings a 15-year-old girl to them for an abortion.

Cheshire drove the unnamed girl from Bryant, Arkansas to the Hope Clinic for Women abortion millin Granite City, Illinois, hoping to avoid detection because of the great distance. Unfortunately for him,pro-lifers Daniel and Angela Michael of Small Victories Ministries were outside the abortion mill andtook photos of his car.

Back in Bryant, Detective Jimmy Long was building a case on Cheshire, but had no evidence to helphim move ahead. He had a tip about what had happened, and stumbled upon the Michaels while doingresearch on the Internet. He said "When I called them, I thought my chances were slim to none. But Icalled anyway. And it turns out they had them," referring to photos of the car entering the abortion mill.

The Michaels said that they photograph the vehicles in case anything illegal happens at the clinic,and they keep every picture. Fortunately for investigators, they had three photos of what Long said isCheshire's car.

Naturally, the Hope Clinic for Women staff refused to comment based upon "patient

confidentiality," and executive director Sally Burgess said that they had safeguards to protect teenagers.She claimed that "If a teenager lets on to us that something of this nature is occurring, we're absolutelygoing to notify the authorities."

In October 2006, police arrested Cheshire and charged him with rape. His victim stated thatCheshire had forced her to have the abortion. He was lodged in Arkansas' Saline County Jail in lieu of

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$75,000 bail.

References: Cordell Whitlock. "Granite City Abortion Clinic is Part of Rape Investigation." KSDKNews, November 16, 2006; Shane Graber. "Protesters' Photos May be Clue in Rape Case." St. LouisPost-Dispatch, November 17, 2006.

Assault with a Deadly Weapon (ADW)

With information about the following investigation being withheld from the public, LauraEchevarria of the National Right to Life Committee believes the incident, which received little mediacoverage, highlights an inherent anti-pro-life bias in the media.

On May 18, 2001, J. Fred Hart, 51, and Jim Dawson, 70, of Vilonia were picketing in front of theFamily Health Care Clinic abortion mill in Little Rock when two women pulled up in a black 1994Chevrolet pickup.

The police report stated that "The passenger [in the truck] started yelling obscene words, then exitedand grabbed his sign and took off running when she fell. Hart stated he bent over to pick up the signwhen [the woman] stabbed him in his left side with a knife." The woman was identified as Amanda SuePetzak of Sherwood, Arkansas.

But detectives questioned the woman involved in the disturbance, and her version of events differsfrom Hart's, a police spokesman said. "She came down on her own and told her version of events," saidLt. Eric Higgins. "She said she pulled over and got into a discussion over abortion and he threw her tothe ground." The woman told investigators that Hart was cut during the struggle. Police haven't releasedthe woman's name. "We're investigating the incident, but no warrants have been issued," Higgins said.

Dawson told detectives he recorded most of the attack with a video camera, and police have takenthe videotape into evidence. Hart and Dawson gave detectives the license plate number from the pickup,and investigators traced it to a Sherwood, Arkansas man.

Weeks later, despite the videotape showing the assault, the investigation remained open, leadingmany pro-lifers to believe that the authorities simply don't care if they are assaulted. Of course, if apro-lifer had stabbed a pro-abort, it would be front-page news all over the world.

Reflecting this indifference, a spokesman for the Little Rock Police Department said theinvestigation "is still pending and they're still working on it. I sure don't have any facts about it, and I'mnot sure what they're going to release on that, if anything. There may be other investigations involvedwith it."

References: "Pro-Life Man Stabbed at Arkansas Abortion Facility." Arkansas Democrat Gazette, May15, 2001; Pro-Life Infonet, May 16, 2001; "Pro-Lifer Stabbed While Protesting Outside ArkansasAbortuary." Catholic World News Briefs, May 18, 2001; "Update on Pro-Life Man Stabbed at ArkansasAbortion Facility." Cybercast News Service, May 31, 2001;Pro-Life Infonet, June 1, 2001.

Assault, Destruction of Property, Illegally Prescribing Controlled Substances, and Income TaxEvasion

Abortionist Tom Tvedten admitted that he wrested a camera from the hands of a pro-lifer who hadphotographed him and smashed the camera on the concrete, and on the man's vehicle with the intentionof destroying it. He also admitted in a deposition that he was not board certified or board eligible, that hecounseled abortion patients for approximately 30 minutes in groups of twelve, and that in order to receiveindividual counseling the woman would have to specifically request it. The Arkansas Medical Board

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agreed to the temporary closing of his office after allegations of excessively prescribing controlledsubstances. Medical Board minutes state that his medical license had been suspended for three months,and his motion to reapply for DEA certification was denied. Also, a lien showed unpaid federal taxes of$20,963.

References: Arkansas State Medical Board Minutes of April 8 and September 16, 1983; Notice of

Federal Tax Lien dated April 29, 1987; and deposition in Perry County Circuit Court Case #CIV87-105-A.

Burglary

This case shows how dishonest and deceptive "pro-choice" activists can be and usually are inthe pursuit of their objectives.

Pro-abortion lawyer Doug Norwood was angry that the State of Arkansas had authorized the passageof "Choose Life" license plates. He did not believe that pro-lifers had the right to speak out in this way,and, of course, "pro-choicers" were just too lazy to go through the process of obtaining their ownspecialty plate. However, Norwood did not have standing to sue the State to have this legislationoverturned. So he hired convicted burglar Tamara Brackett, whom he was representing in court, to assist

him.Norwood told Brackett to go to a license plate office near her home and request a pro-abortion

license plate that he knew didn't exist. After a clerk told her there was no such plate, Norwood filed alawsuit in U.S. District Court seeking to defend her rights. Her suit complained that "The state ofArkansas has opened a state-created forum to one viewpoint alone in the ongoing public controversy overabortion."

Pro-life groups say it was inappropriate and possibly a breach of ethics for Norwood to ask Brackett,a client, to inquire about the plates.

Reference: "Arkansas Choose Life Plate Lawsuit Was Filed by Criminal." LifeNews, December 1,2003.

Magnolia, Arkansas

Capital Murder (2 counts)

Two teenaged boys, Matthew Ryan Elliott, 16, and William Davis, 17, plotted for at least threeweeks to kill 15-year old Brittni Pater, who was 12 weeks pregnant. They dug a grave for her onFebruary 4, 2000 and picked up some large sheets of plastic from the Kroger grocery store where Davisworked.

They bludgeoned her repeatedly with a long, heavy metal bar wrapped with heavy tape around oneend, as though the person who wielded it wanted to make sure he was able to get a good grip,investigators said. Then they ran her down with their car and dumped her battered body in an old gravel

pit. Elliott immediately bragged to his friends about how he had killed Brittni.Several students have told investigators that they heard Matthew discussing plans to kill Brittni, the

sheriff said. And authorities believe that Brittni knew she was going to die. At some point before herdeath, Matthew told Brittni they weren't headed to an abortion clinic, the county sheriff said. "We think

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he told her he was going to kill her."Elliott and Davis were both charged with capital murder after giving statements in which Brittni's

pregnancy was cited as the reason she was killed. On November 2, 2000, a Columbia County jury foundDavis guilty of capital murder for his part in the fatal beating.

References: Cathy Frye. "Girl, 15, Left Note Before Death." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, February 9,

2000; "Arkansas Teen Killed Because She Was Pregnant." Pro-Life Infonet, February 10, 2000; ChuckPlunkett. "Jury Decides Help Given to Kill Girl Was Murder." The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,November 4, 2000.

Marshall, ArkansasMurder

According to police and prosecution documents and witness testimony, the following eventsoccurred in and around Marshall, Arkansas.

47-year-old Julie Smith of Marshall, Arkansas was a nurse whose 13-year-old daughter waspregnant, and she did not like the situation one bit. So she used her nursing skills to induce prematurelabor in the little girl, and, when her infant grandchild was born, she refused to use those same nursing

skills, and just watched her struggle to live for half an hour. Then the baby died, and Smith buried thebaby in a shallow grave.

She was charged with murder in March 2003 and was suspended from her job by the Searcy CountyNursing and Rehabilitation Center.

References: David Hammer, Associated Press. "Accused Grandmother Wants Day in Court."FindLaw, October 21, 2003, downloaded from the FindLaw Web site athttp://news.findlaw.com/ap_stories/other/1110/10-21-2003/20031021051504_02.html on October 27,2003; "Grandmother Eager to Face Murder Charges, Lawyer Says." KPOM Television 24 [Fayetteville,Arkansas]/KFAA Television 51 [Rogers, Arkansas], October 20, 2003.

End of Arkansas Listing (updated May 30, 2011)

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Documents

Pro-Choice Violence in Arkansas