San Diego

One of the members of the Bible Missionary Fellowship charged with conspiring to bomb a San Diego abortion clinic voluntarily entered federal prison Thursday, on the eve of possible incarceration in the County Jail for probation violations in an unrelated criminal case.

Christopher Harmon and seven other church members, including the Rev. Dorman Owens, have been charged in federal court in connection with the attempted bombing last summer of Family Planning Associates Medical Group on Alvarado Road.

Ordered to appear at a probation revocation hearing today that could lead to a sentence in County Jail, Harmon voided his current $100,000 personal appearance bond in the attempted bombing case and voluntarily entered the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center.

Harmon was found guilty last year in San Diego Municipal Court of shooting a man with a stun gun while picketing outside an abortion clinic. He was placed on probation in that case, under the condition that he not possess any weapons or violate laws regarding force or violence.

Karen Smith, a deputy city attorney, said she would try to show in Municipal Court today that Harmon, 25, violated those conditions because of his alleged participation in manufacturing the pipe bomb that was placed outside the abortion clinic.

Smith said she believes Harmon entered the high-rise MCC building downtown in an attempt to avoid serving time in the crowded County Jail. “I imagine it’s more comfortable over there than our County Jail,” she said.

Once inside the federal correctional system, Harmon could not be compelled to be immediately turned over to the County Jail. And should Harmon be found guilty on the federal attempted bombing charge, Smith said, it was unlikely he would also receive County Jail time for the probation revocation.

Harmon’s wife, Robin Harmon, who is also a defendant in the federal case, and his attorney, Kenneth McMullan, declined comment Thursday.