Protest at Cypress Clinic : 2 Guilty of Trespassing at Abortion Facility

Former Santa Ana Police Chief Edward J. Allen and a former postal worker were found guilty Thursday of trespassing at a Cypress abortion clinic last March.

In a unanimous verdict, the West Orange County Municipal Court jury ruled that Allen, 77, of Santa Ana and Ralph Buglione, 63, of Garden Grove “willfully” entered the Cypress Family Planning Assn. Medical Group on March 28 with the intent to disrupt the clinic’s business. The trespassing occurred during a noisy protest by about 100 anti-abortionists.

Afterwards, Allen vowed to appeal the trespassing conviction, a misdemeanor.

Appeal Planned

“We’ll certainly appeal,” said Allen, wearing on his lapel an anti-abortion pin that he was allowed to wear through most of the trial.

“I firmly believe everything I did was correct,” he said. “This trial was about abortion. If it wasn’t, there wouldn’t have been a trial.”

During the eight-day trial, both defendants testified that they visited the clinic “to save babies” and to try to convince the clinic’s operator, Dr. Edward Allred, to give up his business. Outside the courtroom, attorneys for both Allen and Buglione contended that the defendants’ actions were justified because they believed the clinic was performing illegal abortions.

But Judge Kathleen O’Leary refused to allow defense attorneys to introduce the argument in court because the defense could not prove that an illegal abortion was taking place at the time of the trespassing.

Ruling Hurt Defense

Allen said his defense was “severely hampered” by the judge’s refusal.

But the prosecution insisted that the issue of abortion had nothing to do with the trial.

“It was a simple trespassing case,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Bernadette Cemore. “Nothing more.”

Cemore argued that the defendants’ visit was part of a “set-up” to get arrested, then dramatize it for anti-abortionists filming a documentary outside the clinic.

Allen did not attend the first two days of his trial because Judge O’Leary had ruled that no one in the courtroom could wear or carry anti-abortion slogans. Her ruling was overruled by Superior Court Judge Ragnar Engebretsen, however.

Sentencing for both Allen and Buglione was tentatively set for Feb. 11 in West Orange County Municipal Court. The maximum sentence for trespassing is six months in jail and/or a $500 fine.