Documents reveal two flaws in FBI’s case against, pro-life father

The FBI prosecution of  Mark Houck, the pro-life activist and father of seven, may be taking a new turn as new documents expose two flaws in  the charges against Houck after the federal agents stormed his residence on September 23 and subsequently arrested him. Houck was said to have shoved a Planned Parenthood clinic escort.

The FBI charged Houck with two counts of assaulting a reproductive health care clinic escort in violation of the FACE Act, which rules that it is a federal crime to interfere with someone “because that person is a provider of reproductive health care.”

It was said that “newly unearthed documents undermine some of the FBI’s charges against Houck, who was arrested by the federal agents.

It was narrated that Houck was praying near an abortion clinic when Bruce Love, who claims to be a longtime clinic escort, approached him, behaving “extremely aggressively” and harassing his then-12-year-old son.

The attorney to Houck, Peter Breen, had alleged that Love was not escorting any patients at the time of the disagreement.

It was disclosed that a copy of Love’s private criminal complaint, revealed that Love only mentioned being shoved once in a prior criminal complaint about the incident. It was noted that the federal indictment on Houck was for two instances of assault.

Peter Breen had argued that the fact that Love only later mentioned a second shoving undermined the federal government’s decision to charge Houck with two counts of assault.

According to Breen, “Apparently Mr. Love is now claiming a second instance where he says he was knocked to the ground.

“That is false. We look forward to some sort of evidence of that alleged other instance because if a crime had actually taken place, we assume that Mr. Love would have put it in his private criminal complaint he brought to the Pennsylvania state courts.”

Another attorney to Houck, Matt Heffron, in an email to Assistant U.S. Attorney Anita Eve, had offered to accept the summons on his client’s behalf, saying that Houck would voluntarily appear in court. Eve had acknowledged that Emails obtained by the Federalist showed that his client did not respond until the day of the arrest.

Breen had said: “When the defendant has a lawyer, a respected former federal prosecutor, offering to bring the deferment wherever the US attorney’s office would like him presented there is no reason to send one agent, much less 20.

“The question is why there were a bunch of people with long guns, ballistic shields and body armor outside this peaceful person’s home to effect an arrest warrant that was utterly unnecessary and really put the Houck family in danger.”

Breen had further argued that the indictment also made no mention of patients being present, and their apparent absence undermines the federal government’s use of the FACE Act to prosecute Houck.