Wichita, Kansas – May 29, 2004 Operation Rescue West was conducting a Neighborhood Prayer Walk on May 27, near the home of one of George Tiller’s abortion mill workers, Joan Armentrout, when a man driving a large white pick-up stopped to speak to Michele Herzog about the pro-life outreach. “He seemed very, very angry,” said Michele, who had quietly spoken to him in an attempt to calm the situation and reason with him, but to no avail.
The man left but returned a few minutes later and drove over the curb and onto the grass, narrowly missing a group of pro-life picketers, including Michele and her young daughter, Rebecca. He then backed up and attempted to run into other pro-lifers but was thankfully thwarted when his tire became stuck in a storm drain. All the while, he was yelling threats and cursing. The entire incident was caught on videotape.
ORW President Troy Newman was on the scene and immediately began yelling for everyone to get behind a tree or pole for safety while ORW missionary Brenna Sullenger summoned the police, who took a report and gathered the videotape of the incident for evidence. The police ran the license plate, but found it was registered to a company in Texas.
The next morning, police were summoned to a home near the same location and arrested 24-year old Steven Bowring for attempting to murder his wife. According to news reports, Bowring had spent the night drinking, then came home, chased his wife with a knife, doused her with gasoline, and attempted to light her on fire. He is currently incarcerated at the Sedgwick County Jail.
This news shocked the ORW crew that had narrowly survived their encounter with this obviously troubled young man.
“I thought he was the kind to go home and get a gun,” Michele has said after the picketing incident. “I am just thankful to be alive. I have to wonder if there has been an abortion in this young man’s past.”
ORW asks for prayers for Steven Bowring and for his traumatized wife. We pray that God will use this situation to lead them both to seek repentance, forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ.
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http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/801712.html
Crime Connection?
Jeanene Kiesling
May 28 – A man suspected of trying to run over abortion protestors may have been involved in another violent attack.
Thursday night, a man reportedly tried to run over people at an abortion protest. That suspect was still on the loose when police say the man was involved in another violent attack.
The man is now in the Sedgwick County jail. The arrest came and the crimes were connected after police say the suspect doused his wife with gasoline and tried to light her on fire.
Operation Rescue West say it was a routine protest for them, until they say someone tried to run over them. The group was protesting near a clinic workers’ home when they say a white truck pulled up over the curb, nearly hitting a woman an child.
When police arrived the suspect was gone. He was driving a 2004 Dodge Pickup truck. The tag number checked back to a business in Texas.
But soon enough, police would once again encounter the man they now believe was driving the truck.
Just after 4:00am Friday, police received another call from a woman who claimed her husband had just come home after a night of drinking. She says when she tried to leave he held her against her will, chased her with a knife then poured gasoline on her and tried to light her on fire.
24 year old Steven Bowring was arrested and faces several felony charges including aggravated assault, terrorist threat and criminal restraint.
In the driveway police say they found Bowring’s truck. It’s the same truck police now say was involved in the earlier ordeal.
Bowring remains in custody. Investigators say they will seek additional charges stemming from the protest incident.
