The Missouri man who set fire to a mosque and attempted arson at a Planned Parenthood clinic was sentenced on Tuesday to more than five years in prison and a $701,971 fine, according to a Justice Department press release.
Jedediah Stout, 32, will serve 63 months in prison as a result of being convicted on four counts for torching the Islamic Society of Joplin mosque and two attempts to ignite the healthcare clinic in Joplin in 2012.
“This sentence sends a clear message that violence targeting where people worship or access reproductive healthcare services violates federal law and carries severe consequences,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gupta.
Stout, a resident of the southwestern Missouri city of Joplin, destroyed the mosque on Aug. 6, 2012. He later told investigators he did not like Islam as a religion.
The assailant pleaded guilty to torching the Muslim house of worship, as well as two failed arson attempts at Planned Parenthood on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4, 2013. Stout had thrown items containing an accelerant onto the roof of the clinic, then igniting it. Surveillance video led to Stout’s arrest. He admitted to targeting the clinic because he did not agree with the abortion services rendered in the facility.
Stout pleaded guilty on April 18, 2016.
