Clayton Waagner, the antiabortion activist who has admitted to sending more than 550 anthrax hoax letters to family planning clinics, was sentenced yesterday to nearly 20 years in prison on federal firearms and auto theft charges, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/16). Waagner was arrested in suburban Cincinnati on Dec. 5, 2001, after escaping 10 months earlier from an Illinois prison, where he was awaiting sentencing on three past convictions for interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle and illegal possession of a firearm. In January, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for those charges as well as for prison escape. In addition, a Cincinnati jury in April found Waagner guilty of six federal charges for possession of stolen firearms and a stolen vehicle related to crimes that occurred while he was on the run from law enforcement officials. During the trial, Waagner testified that he had sent the anthrax hoax letters to family planning clinics throughout the country last fall, but has not yet been charged in connection with the anthrax hoaxes (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 8/6).

Violent Intentions
Kelly Johnson, Waagner's attorney, yesterday argued that her client should receive a lesser sentence because he "did not commit violence" and cooperated with authorities during the investigation. However, Waagner "contradicted" Johnson in his comments to U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott, saying that he had intended to commit a violent act (Cornwell, AP/Akron Beacon Journal, 8/16). "I did, in fact, want to harm someone. I wanted to kill an abortion provider. I just couldn't do it," Waagner said (Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/16). Dlott sentenced Waagner to serve 19 years and seven months in prison after completing his 30-year sentence from Illinois. Waagner said that he planned to appeal the sentence (AP/Akron Beacon Journal, 8/16).

Another Escape Attempt
The St. Petersburg Times reports that Waagner unsuccessfully tried to escape from prison this week. According to the Times, Waagner and another inmate at the Boone County Jail in Kentucky were caught in a plan to dig out the mortar between the cinder blocks of their cell (Jacoby, St. Petersburg Times, 8/16). Prosecutors argued yesterday that Waagner should not receive a lesser sentence because the escape attempt indicated that he is "not remorseful" about his crimes (AP/Akron Beacon Journal, 8/16).