An Ohio woman allegedly struck law enforcement officers after “throwing eggs and a dead raccoon” at an abortion clinic.
The Akron Beacon Journal reported that the incident occurred at the Northeast Ohio Women’s Center in Cuyahoga Falls on 15 August. The woman, later identified as Melissa Strelec, threw the eggs at volunteer escorts who in turn shielded themselves with umbrellas.
Surveillance video obtained by the Journal shows Ms Strelec leaving the clinic in her vehicle.
An hour later, she returned and allegedly left a bag at the clinic’s front door. Staff slightly opened the bag and saw the dead raccoon inside.
“We honestly didn’t know if it was an explosive or what it was,” a volunteer who chose to remain anonymous told the Journal. “We were panicked.”
“There [were] flies all over it and it smelled horrible. It was nerve-wracking and honestly scary,” medical assistant Krista Mills told the Journal.
Police reportedly confronted the woman after Ms Strelec fled the scene for a second time. She reportedly became combative and “struck officers.”
Ms Strelec has since been charged with criminal mischief and littering in Stow Municipal Court.
Clinic workers and volunteers told the Journal said that following the Supreme Court’s overruling in June of the landmark Roe v Wade ruling, attacks on staff had risen.
“There’s a little more anger now because they assumed we would close, and that’s not the case,” clinic director Dr David Burkons told the outlet. “They thought [this] would be it for us, so they’re angry we’re still here.”
In addition to enforcing its six-week last menstrual period (LMP ban), the state’s Heartbeat Law prevents medical staff from performing the procedure if a heartbeat is found — except for cases of medical emergencies and when the life of the mother is in danger.
An abortion cannot be performed without first checking for a heartbeat, the law also states.
