Minister Is Exonerated in Bomb Plot

Federal prosecutors dropped all charges Monday against the Rev. Kenneth Felder, the last of seven members of a fundamentalist church awaiting trial in the attempted bombing of a San Diego abortion clinic.

The move came after an unusual meeting at the U.S. attorney’s office during which Felder spoke with the chief prosecution witness, Eric Svelmoe, who apparently had mistaken Felder’s silence about the bombing for support of the plan, according to Larry Burns, the assistant U.S. attorney who arranged the session.

Because Felder did not voice a strong objection to the bombing scheme, Svelmoe erroneously assumed that Felder had advocated the plan, Burns said.

Svelmoe had been expected to testify that Felder, then an associate pastor of the Bible Missionary Fellowship, supported a plan to bomb the Family Planning Associates Medical Group on Alvarado Road. By the end of the meeting, which lasted about 90 minutes, “Mr. Svelmoe was satisfied that Rev. Felder didn’t do or say anything to support the bombing,” Burns said.

Felder “has been through enough,” Burns said, adding that he was “exonerated” by Svelmoe’s change of heart Monday.

“In the interest of justice,” Burns said, he asked U.S. District Judge Earl Gilliam to dismiss the charges of conspiracy and attempted bombing. Gilliam threw out the charges at a brief session Monday afternoon.

The misunderstanding came to light about two weeks ago, when Felder, while discussing a possible plea agreement, insisted to the prosecutor that he was innocent, according to Felder’s lawyer, Michael S. Hegner. Burns then arranged the meeting, saying he could not accept a guilty plea if Felder were innocent, Hegner said.

The six other church members indicted in the conspiracy--including the pastor, the Rev. Dorman Owens--have pleaded guilty. Owens, 54, a fundamentalist Baptist preacher, was sentenced last week to 21 months in prison for his role. Svelmoe has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

Grand Jury Testimony

Felder was indicted in the case based on Svelmoe’s grand jury testimony regarding a July 20, 1987, meeting at which Svelmoe, Felder and Owens were present and the bombing was discussed, Hegner said.

“He (Svelmoe) just assumed that Pastor Felder was going along with the conspiracy,” Hegner said.

During the meeting Monday, the two men went “back over the events” of July 20, and Svelmoe realized he had misunderstood Felder, Hegner said.

Outside court Monday, Felder said he did not object more at the time because “I had some moral conflicts about it (the bombing).” He said he understood and agreed with the strong anti-abortion feelings of his fellow church members but did not agree that the time had come to break the law. “I didn’t feel we were at the trade-off point,” he said.

But Felder said he did try to “throw cold water” on the plan. “I told them there were too many people who knew about it. I told them they would get caught and it would devastate the church.”

The misunderstanding arose because Felder did not articulate his objections “at the top of his voice,” Hegner said. “He told Svelmoe the whole thing was crazy.”

Felder said Monday that he resigned from Owens’ church last month and plans to start his own church in El Cajon.