A Middletown man pleads guilty in federal court to targeting a Newark Planned Parenthood with a molotov cocktail.
Over a year ago, 19 year-old Samuel Gulick targeted a Planned Parenthood in Newark. He vandalized the outside of the building, and threw a molotov cocktail through the front window, damaging the porch and window before it burned out.
Last week, Gulick pleaded guilty to Intentional Damage to a Facility that Provides Reproductive Health Services and Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device under the National Firearms Act.
Gulick was arrested by the FBI a week after the incident. He was identified through video that captured the license plate of the car he was driving and an Instagram page registered to him. That page contained the phrase “Deus Vult” found spray-painted on the building and several anti-abortion posts.
He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison — but according to officials with the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware’s office, actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum. Sentencing is scheduled for June 2.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney David Weiss states “Mr. Gulick’s actions had potentially deadly consequences. I applaud the investigative efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement who worked quickly to identify and bring Mr. Gulick to justice.”
The FBI warns others against attempting to vandalize reproductive health clinics in an attempt to deter people from seeking their services.
Roman Battaglia a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
