Local News in Brief : Mental Tests Ordered
A supporter of legal abortion who pleaded guilty to making fake bomb threats against abortion agencies to arouse sympathy for his cause was ordered Thursday to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Frank Mendiola, 30, who was to have been sentenced on three felony counts, was instead told to consult a court-appointed psychiatrist in what Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Judith C. Chirlin acknowledged is “a very complex matter.”
Chirlin also ordered Mendiola’s bail reduced from $15,000 to $5,000. He has been in custody since his arrest in November.
Mendiola said his frustration at lack of public support for the movement led him to make bogus bomb threats last year. Threats were directed against clinics, offices, even his own home and that of Assemblywoman Maxine Waters.
In many public testimonials, Mendiola said he supported legal abortion because his twin sister had died from a back-alley abortion. Police investigating the bomb threats last year learned that Mendiola had no twin sister.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
