Judge Finds Man Who Brutally Assaulted Pro-Life Advocates Not Guilty of Felony

The Maryland Circuit Court for Baltimore City held a second criminal trial for Patrick Brice, who was accused of physically assaulting pro-life sidewalk advocates Dick Schaefer and Mark Crosby on May 26th, 2023, outside a Planned Parenthood facility on North Howard Street in Baltimore.

Brice (picted right) whose attorney did not dispute his guilt, encountered the two elderly men peacefully standing and praying outside the abortion facility. Unprovoked, Brice violently attacked both men, leaving Schaefer unconscious and Crosby with multiple fractured facial bones and temporary blindness. On February 6th, the jury found Patrick Brice guilty on two counts of misdemeanor second-degree assault and endangerment. The prosecution wanted a solo charge of felony first-degree assault against Crosby; however, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision, thereby delaying Brice’s retrial to June 23rd.

Please follow LifeNews on Rumble for the latest pro-life videos.

In the second trial, the court found Brice not guilty of first-degree assault against Crosby. Judge Yvette Bryant maintained the double count of misdemeanor against Brice. He will await his sentencing in August. A second-degree assault charge carries up to 10 years of incarceration, but there is no guarantee that Brice will receive anywhere close to the maximum sentencing. Brice has again been released on his own recognizance.

This questionable decision on the part of Judge Bryant to keep the charge against Brice  as a mere misdemeanor highlights the need for oversight of the judiciary in Maryland, as well as other pro-abortion states. Laura Bogley, Executive Director of Maryland Right to Life stated, “The State of Maryland continues to blatantly discriminate against pro-life speech.  This Court has a duty to apply justice blindly and Judge Bryant has failed in her duty to the citizens and the Constitution.”

Blame also may be assigned to the Baltimore City prosecutor’s office, which refused to charge Brice with a hate crime.  Bogley continued, “This was a violent hate crime and an attack on Catholics and religious freedom everywhere. It was a clear violation of the FACE Act, which is to protect pro-life advocates as well as abortion workers. Brice should have been charged with a federal crime. The victims will not see justice unless this case is removed from the biased bench in the Maryland courts.”

Maryland Right to Life recently led an advocacy campaign to ask Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and United States Attorney General Pam Bondi to provide oversight of the Circuit Court’s actions.  The organization previously called upon Governor Wes Moore and Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott to condemn this violence when the assaults were first perpetrated in 2023. Their prolonged silence in the face of this injustice may be perceived as condoning hate crimes against Catholics and chilling free speech and the free exercise of religion in Maryland.

While this is a disappointing decision, Crosby says that the judge’s ruling will not affect his actions going forward. He says, “It’s just a wonderful feeling when we’re in front of Planned Parenthood and a mother with a baby comes up to us and says, ‘Thank you for ministering to me and that I didn’t have to murder my baby.’”

Instead of quitting their prayer and conversations out of fear, Schaefer and Crosby encourage more people to come join them in front of Planned Parenthood. With the correct response, even a seeming failure can have a positive impact. Each time the government tries to silence the voices of pro-lifers by promoting abortion and violence, it is an opportunity to return even stronger than before. The pro-life movement has demonstrated strength and persistence in the face of adversity, and this time is no different.

Additionally, Crosby stresses that active involvement is necessary to grow the movement. “If Jesus asked what we were doing to save the babies, real action is necessary,” says Crosby. Real action also is necessary to protect free speech and religious freedom and to prevent violence against people like Schaefer and Crosby.  Violence is never an acceptable solution to unplanned pregnancies or to differences in deeply held religious beliefs.

The post Judge Finds Man Who Brutally Assaulted Pro-Life Advocates Not Guilty of Felony appeared first on LifeNews.com.