Chillicothe, Illinois, man charged with setting fire to Planned Parenthood

PEORIA, Ill. (WAND) — Chillicothe, Illinois, man, Tyler W. Massengill, 32, has been arrested and charged by criminal complaint with malicious use of fire and an explosive to damage, and attempt to damage, the Planned Parenthood building in Peoria, Illinois.

According to U.S. Attorney’s Office Central District of Illinois, video surveillance showed an older white pickup truck with red doors parked in an area adjacent to Planned Parenthood. Video footage depicts a man walking up to the building with a laundry detergent-sized bottle. The man lit a rag on fire on one end of the bottle, smashed a window with an object, then placed the container inside of the Planned Parenthood building. He then quickly left the area on foot.

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Law enforcement was able to link the truck to Massengill who met with investigators on January 24 and was taken into custody.

If convicted of the malicious use of fire charge, Massengill faces a mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment of at least five years and could receive up to 40 years in prison. The charges also carry up to three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois released this statement regarding the arrest:

“We are pleased an arrest has been made in the firebombing of the Peoria Planned Parenthood Health Center on January 15. The damage to the health center is extensive and we are estimating it costing over $1M to rebuild. The repairs will take numerous months before we can reopen stronger than ever.

"This senseless act of vandalism has robbed the community of access to birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and gender-affirming care as well as medication abortion services. We appreciate the outpouring of support from the community, state, and nation as we continue to meet our patients' needs through telehealth and at our other 16 health centers across the state.

"If supporters wish to help out in this moment we have information on our website, www.ppil.org, to donate directly to rebuilding the Peoria health center.”