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Vandal of Kentucky’s Last Full-Time Abortion Clinic Arrested Again

Timothy Lee Haste, who pleaded guilty to criminal mischief after twice breaking the windows at EMW Women's Surgical Center, was arrested again near the clinic on unrelated charges.

Timothy Lee Haste, who pleaded guilty to criminal mischief after twice breaking the windows at EMW Women's Surgical Center, was arrested again near the clinic on unrelated charges. Shutterstock

The vandal who twice broke the windows at Kentucky’s last full-time abortion clinic was arrested again last week near the clinic on an unrelated charge.

Timothy Lee Haste was first arrested and pleaded guilty to criminal mischief after breaking the windows at EMW Women’s Surgical Center twice over the past month. He was sentenced to a year in jail and discharged under the condition that he have no further contact with the complainant.

Volunteer clinic escorts, however, claim to have seen him outside the clinic bragging to other protesters about his release.

Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) arrested and charged Haste with first- and second-degree criminal mischief. He caused $1,600 worth of damage to the clinic on the two instances. On November 23, he pleaded guilty to one of the counts that was dropped to second-degree criminal mischief. This was not Haste’s first run-in with the law; he’s been arrested multiple times in Louisville for public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and criminal trespassing, according to Insider Louisville.

Though Haste’s most recent arrest was not in connection with the clinic, according to police, he was in violation of his probation conditions. He was charged on Friday with public intoxication, third-degree criminal trespassing, and third-degree terroristic threatening for drunkenly trespassing at a closed business.

The terrorism charge was for allegedly telling a University of Louisville police officer that “the next time he saw Officer on the street, he was going to ‘Kick Officer’s ass.’”

Haste’s actions and arrests come at a time when many abortion clinics are heightening security. On Friday, the day of Haste’s most recent arrest, Robert Lewis Dear was arrested as the suspect in the shooting at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood that killed three people and injured nine. The incident is believed to be the first deadly attack on an abortion provider in six years.

Many news outlets have reported that Dear said “no more baby parts” to police after his arrest. A series of surreptitiously recorded and highly edited videos released this summer by the anti-choice front group known as the Center for Medical Progress prompted national outrage among anti-choice legislators and activists. The release of the videos was followed by an increase in clinic violence and vandalism across the country.

Major Andrea Brown, LMPD’s first division commander, told Insider Louisville that she’s told her officers to be vigilant about Haste’s presence at EMW Women’s Surgical Center.

“I don’t want people to get up in arms … I don’t want people to think we’re not doing what we should be doing,” Brown told Insider Louisville. “But unfortunately, sometimes the way the law is written there’s only so much we can do. The best thing to do is stay visible around there, and if we see people that are harassing them—of course we can’t take sides—to handle that situation accordingly.”