Pro-Lifer's Conviction Overturned

HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio, April 25 /Covenant News Wire Service/ -- On Friday, April 22, the First Appellate District of Ohio reversed the conviction of Joseph Logsdon for criminal trespass and discharged him from further prosecution in the case.

Almost two years ago, Mr. Logsdon, who was peacefully offering information to women entering the Cincinnati Women's Services abortion clinic, was arrested and tried for trespassing when he retrieved a sign from clinic property. The clinic director had stolen the sign from Mr. Logsdon's legal display adjacent to clinic property – and had refused to return it.

The court opinion states, "The incident should have ended then, but of course it did not." While observing that while in the act of retrieving the sign, Mr. Logsdon was on the property for less than 90 seconds, they go on to state, "Ninety Seconds Begets Two Charges, a Trial, and an Appeal." Mr. Logsdon was charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct; the latter charge eventually was dropped.

Mr. Logsdon was represented by Attorney Tom Condit, who described court's decision as "a small but significant victory." Mr. Condit received support for the case from Life Legal Defense Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Napa, California. The Foundation has provided either legal representation or financial assistance in similar cases across the nation since 1989.

The court stated it best when, in the conclusion of their opinion, they wrote, "And, of course, the whole matter was blown way out of proportion – but that is the reality given the strong feelings on both sides."

Dana Cody, attorney and Executive Director of Life Legal Defense Foundation, commented: "We applaud Mr. Condit's persistence and excellent representation in this case. We also applaud the good old common sense used by the court in applying the law to the case. While we recognize the strong feelings on both sides of the abortion debate, one has to wonder why the authorities went to such lengths to prosecute Mr. Logsdon. Though it appears that law enforcement couldn't remain objective, the court certainly did."


Life Legal Defense Foundation, established in 1989, is a non-profit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens, committed to giving helpless and innocent human beings of any age, particularly the unborn, and their advocates, a trained and committed voice in the courtrooms of our nation.


CONTACT:
Life Legal Defense Foundation
Dana Cody
P.O. Box 2105
Napa, CA 94558
1-916-727-4396
Email: lifelegaldefense@cs.com
Website: www.lldf.org




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