Alabama man gets probation in abortion clinic attack

[Doondoo]

A judge sentenced a man to five years of probation and ordered him to pay $6,100 in damages Thursday for driving his car into an abortion clinic in Tuscaloosa.

U.S. District Judge Inge Johnson also ordered Dalton Ray Skinner, 44, of Tuscaloosa to live at a substance abuse center until he completes a treatment program.

No one was hurt when a car slammed into the West Alabama Women's Center on Jan. 19, 2006 while it was closed. The bumper of Skinner's car came off and was left at the scene, and Skinner was arrested after a chase.

No motive for the attack was revealed, but Skinner's attorney filed papers last year stating the man had been in drug and mental health counseling for several years and was off his medication, making him delusional.

Skinner pleaded guilty to the attack in November. He faced a maximum sentence of one year in prison and fines of $100,000 for violating a federal law that protects women's clinics.


http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-27/117217975517900.xml&storylist=alabamanews

[DemKR]

1. Where's the "tough on crime" crowd on this one? n/t

[PerceptionManagement]

7. Another "Activist" judge soft on domestic terrorists. Why do republ(-ic)lans hate America?

[Solo_in_MD]

2. Was this an intentional attack on a clinc or a nut off his meds?

It sounds like the latter.

[fishwax]

3. the way the article reads it sounds like a car accident

that happened to involve a women's clinic. He was ordered to drug treatment, so was he under the influence when this happened? (I haven't ever heard anything about this story before, and have no details ...)

[AUYellowDog]

4. As an Alabamian

All i've gotta say is "way to go, jackass". that's exactly what we need to increase the reputation of
Alabama.

[piedmont]

5. Doesn't sound like an attack to me. nt

[Up2Late]

6. "Skinner was arrested after a chase...!!!" Noooooooooo! Can he still run DU on Probation?

Why didn't Earl tell us about Skinner's Legal troubles? :shrug:

(Just Kidding)

[Judi Lynn]

8. Undoubtedly a simple coincidence, as he hadn't had his drugs.

It could just as easily been some other womens' center he rammed into, not knowing whether or not he'd be killing someone on the other side.

Every time someone is of his medication, you always expect him to attempt to wreck a womens' clinic accidently. Happens continually, doesn't it? Probably not.

Don't get this event confused with the BOMBINGS of womens' centers, or the MURDERS of people who work there. Not even close.

[iverglas]

9. contemporaneous report of incident

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060120/NEWS/601200385/1007/NEWS02

It occurred at 1:43 a.m.

http://tlimg.ny.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TL&Date=20060120&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=601200385&Ref=AR&Profile=1007&MaxW=330&Q=90

While police remained at the women’s center, Tuscaloosa County deputies spotted a Nissan Sentra driving erratically and without taillights at about 1:45 a.m. on Rice Mine Road, said Sgt. Andy Norris, spokesman for the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

“He tried to initiate a traffic stop, because he believed the driver may have been impaired," Norris said. “At that time, the driver refused to stop. And that’s when the pursuit ensued."

Ellis said the shooting occurred after Moundville police, with the aid of the Greenville Police Department, used a device to blow out the tires of the Nissan Sentra that Skinner was driving near the intersection of Alabama Highway 14 and Hale County Road 21.

It kind of reminds me of the night I came home from work about 2 a.m. and found a car that had been run into my front porch and left on the sidewalk. When the police finally came, they knocked on my door and sternly asked whether that was my car. Yeah, duh; I called the cops because I ran my car into my porch and figured I'd leave it there. They found the driver living on the next block, obviously not too pissed to realize he was better off not being in control of the vehicle when it was found.

Sure doesn't sound like an "abortion clinic attack" to me; sounds like an alcoholic (apparently with psychological problems, the "dual diagnosis" being not uncommon), doing what alcoholics do. Wrecking stuff and being dangerous. He pleaded guilty to the clinic-specific charges, but I'd probably bet he figured that the deal he was offered sounded better than the time he might do if convicted after trial, and the prosecution laid those charges because it couldn't make out a dangerous driving case, or an impaired driving case. Maybe, in the latter instance, because of him being shot by a cop at the end of the car chase and all.

[krispos42]

10. Yeah, tough on domestic terrorist attacks...

Oh, wait, the guy was probably a white Christian, so he gets off scot-free. If he was a Muslim Arab, he's be at Gitmo strapped to a giant deli slicer.