LONGMONT, Colo — The FBI said Thursday it has increased the reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects in a 2022 arson at an abortion alternatives ministry in Longmont.
The Life Choices building at 20 Mountain View Ave. was vandalized and sustained fire and smoke damage as a result of the arson on June 25, according to an FBI news release.
FBI Denver is assisting the Longmont Police Department in the investigation. To encourage people to come forward, the FBI increased the reward from $17,500 to $25,000.
>The video above is from June 2022.
The front of the building was vandalized with black paint that included messages including "if abortions aren't safe neither are you" and "bans off our bodies," said Longmont Police Chief Jeff Satur in June.
Investigators believe there are two suspects because one set of graffiti is in cursive and the other is not, indicating two sets of handwriting, Satur said.
The fire took place less than 24 hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
Satur said that even though investigators had not identified the suspects, the motive was pretty clear.
"It's not lost on us the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision – the connections are there," he said. "We're well aware of likely why this happened."
Life Choices describes itself on its website as "a Christ-centered ministry providing education, support, healing and limited medical services for sexual life choices."
Satur said investigators poured through video from neighbors but cleared the people in the video. They even tested the spray paint at the scene and looked into who bought paint in Longmont the day before but did not come up with any suspects.
"Somebody knows something, right?" Satur said. "They had to talk to somebody. Somebody had to say something, and that's the tip we need."
Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.FBI.gov.
The FBI said the arson and vandalism are part of a larger investigation of 10 similar incidents that took place between March 2022 and June 2022.
“Today’s announcement reflects the FBI’s commitment to vigorously pursue investigations into crimes against pregnancy resource centers, faith-based organizations, and reproductive health clinics across the country,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We will continue to work closely with our national, state, and local law enforcement partners to hold responsible anyone who uses extremist views to justify their criminal actions.”
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