Clayton Waagner
Encyclopedia
Clayton Lee Waagner is a convicted bank robber and anti-abortion activist. He was born Roger Waagner in North Dakota
. He was an escaped fugitive
during the spring, summer and fall of 2001 and was the FBI's 467th fugitive to be placed on the Ten Most Wanted
list for carjackings, firearms violations, and bank robbery on September 21, 2001. He was placed on the United States Marshals Service
Top 15 Fugitives list for sending more than 280 letters that claimed to contain anthrax
, which he mailed to Planned Parenthood
with return addresses of the Marshals Service and the Secret Service
beginning in October 2001. He is currently in prison.
, but fled into the woods and evaded capture, leaving behind a stolen car that contained firearms, explosives, false identity papers
, and a list of abortion clinic
s.
Later in September 1999, while on a self-described "Mission from God
", he took his wife and their nine children on a cross-country road trip headed west in a stolen Winnebago
, planning to murder
various abortion doctors, beginning with one in Seattle, Washington. However, after crossing into Illinois
his vehicle broke down, and Waagner was arrested when Illinois State Police
stopped to investigate. Waagner was convicted on charges of interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle and for being a convicted felon
in possession of firearm
s.
While he was awaiting sentencing, and facing a term of 15 years to life, Waagner escaped from DeWitt County Jail in Clinton, Illinois
on February 22, 2001.
in May 2001.
His fugitive trail then led southwest, where he was next identified as having abandoned a vehicle in Memphis, Tennessee
, following a hit and run accident. Authorities recovered law enforcement-type equipment, anti-abortion literature, and weapons from the car. He next became wanted for carjacking
s across the state line in Tunica
and in Robinsonville, Mississippi and firearms violations in Memphis, Tennessee
on September 7, 2001. Later that month, the FBI placed him on the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
, in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Although Waagner's actions were leading toward acts of domestic terrorism, he was already most wanted by law enforcement officials for his escape from prison in February of that year, and also as a suspect in the series of bank robberies in May and June.
in November 2001, in which he sent envelopes containing a white powder to more than 500 abortion
providers. The envelopes also contained a note, which said, "You have been exposed to anthrax
. We are going to kill all of you. From the Army of God, Virginia Dare Chapter." The threat was considered serious, as it arrived shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, as well as the then-recent delivery of genuine anthrax letters
to various governmental officials.
A United States Marshals Service
Top 15 Fugitive since March 6, 2001, Waagner also became a FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive because of the more than 280 letters that threatened to contain anthrax, which he mailed to Planned Parenthood
, with return addresses of the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Secret Service beginning in October 2001. In the wave of mailed letters, Waagner was accused of stalkings and threats to kill 42 low-level abortion clinic
employees up through November 23, 2001.
On November 29, 2001 the FBI took the unusual step of releasing a press release of new information about Waagner seeking the public's assistance, while also pointing out that Waagner's letters were not associated with the recent letters that had been sent to the offices of Senators Tom Daschle
and Patrick Leahy
which actually did contain anthrax
. The white powder in Waagner's letters initially tested positive for anthrax, due to the addition of a powdered insecticide
known to trigger false positive results.
identified him from a photograph on a wanted poster
circulated by members of the United States Marshals Service
. Waagner had been known to patronize Kinko's stores in the past, and for this reason the Marshals sent a copy to every store in the chain. When arrested, he was preparing to fax
a bomb threat
to a mass list of clinics. In addition to his earlier 15 years to life sentence in Illinois, he was convicted April 18, 2002 in Cincinnati, Ohio
U.S District Court on separate firearms and car theft charges. For the anthrax letter spree, he received a 53-count indictment, and on December 3, 2003, he was convicted on 51 of the 53 counts, including charges of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act
, threatening the use of weapons of mass destruction, and mailing threatening communications. He was sentenced to 19 years in a federal prison.
while in prison, and continues to correspond with outside individuals, including other members of the Army of God. He is currently serving in United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
, with a projected release date of January 17, 2046.
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. He was an escaped fugitive
Fugitive
A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals...
during the spring, summer and fall of 2001 and was the FBI's 467th fugitive to be placed on the Ten Most Wanted
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 2000s
-FBI Headlines in the 2000s:The 2000s started out badly for the FBI's much needed attempts to upgrade technology. First, the Trilogy project went far over the $380 million budget, and behind its three-year schedule. Then, Virtual Case File, or VCF, planned for completion in 2003, was officially...
list for carjackings, firearms violations, and bank robbery on September 21, 2001. He was placed on the United States Marshals Service
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
Top 15 Fugitives list for sending more than 280 letters that claimed to contain anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
, which he mailed to Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
with return addresses of the Marshals Service and the Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
beginning in October 2001. He is currently in prison.
Prior crimes
Waagner had previously been sentenced to 4–10 years for attempted robbery in 1992. Years later as a convicted felon released from prison, early in September 1999, he was pulled over by the Pennsylvania State PolicePennsylvania State Police
The Pennsylvania State Police is the state police force of Pennsylvania, responsible for statewide law enforcement. It was founded in 1905 by order of Governor Samuel Pennypacker, in response to the private police forces used by mine and mill owners to stop worker strikes and the inability or...
, but fled into the woods and evaded capture, leaving behind a stolen car that contained firearms, explosives, false identity papers
Identity document forgery
Identity document forgery is the process by which identity documents issued by governing bodies are copied and/or modified by persons not authorized to create such documents or engage in such modifications, for the purpose of deceiving those who would view the documents about the identity or status...
, and a list of abortion clinic
Abortion clinic
An abortion clinic is a medical facility that primarily performs or specializes in abortions. Such clinics may be public medical centers or private medical practices.-Canada:*There were 197 abortion providers in Canada in 2001....
s.
Later in September 1999, while on a self-described "Mission from God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
", he took his wife and their nine children on a cross-country road trip headed west in a stolen Winnebago
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
, planning to murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
various abortion doctors, beginning with one in Seattle, Washington. However, after crossing into Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
his vehicle broke down, and Waagner was arrested when Illinois State Police
Illinois State Police
The Illinois State Police is the state police force of Illinois. Officially established in 1922, the Illinois State Police have over 3,000 personnel and 21 districts. The main facilities of the Illinois State Police Academy, which were constructed in 1968, are located in Springfield. Prior to...
stopped to investigate. Waagner was convicted on charges of interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle and for being a convicted felon
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
in possession of firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s.
While he was awaiting sentencing, and facing a term of 15 years to life, Waagner escaped from DeWitt County Jail in Clinton, Illinois
Clinton, Illinois
Clinton is the largest city in DeWitt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,225 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of DeWitt County.The city and the county are named for DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York, 1817-1823...
on February 22, 2001.
Escaped fugitive crime trail
As an escaped fugitive felon from Illinois, Waagner made his way back east to Pennsylvania, where three months later he became wanted for the bank robbery of a First Union in Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaHarrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
in May 2001.
His fugitive trail then led southwest, where he was next identified as having abandoned a vehicle in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, following a hit and run accident. Authorities recovered law enforcement-type equipment, anti-abortion literature, and weapons from the car. He next became wanted for carjacking
Carjacking
Carjacking is a form of hijacking, where the crime is of stealing a motor vehicle and so also armed assault when the vehicle is occupied. Historically, such as in the rash of semi-trailer truck hijackings during the 1960s, the general term hijacking was used for that type of vehicle abduction,...
s across the state line in Tunica
Tunica, Mississippi
Tunica is a town in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, located near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s the town was one of the most impoverished places in the United States, semi-famous for the particularly deprived neighbourhood known as "Sugar Ditch Alley", named for the open...
and in Robinsonville, Mississippi and firearms violations in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
on September 7, 2001. Later that month, the FBI placed him on the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
, in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Although Waagner's actions were leading toward acts of domestic terrorism, he was already most wanted by law enforcement officials for his escape from prison in February of that year, and also as a suspect in the series of bank robberies in May and June.
Anthrax hoax
Waagner then became most infamous for a hoaxHoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
in November 2001, in which he sent envelopes containing a white powder to more than 500 abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
providers. The envelopes also contained a note, which said, "You have been exposed to anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
. We are going to kill all of you. From the Army of God, Virginia Dare Chapter." The threat was considered serious, as it arrived shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, as well as the then-recent delivery of genuine anthrax letters
2001 anthrax attacks
The 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States, also known as Amerithrax from its Federal Bureau of Investigation case name, occurred over the course of several weeks beginning on Tuesday, September 18, 2001, one week after the September 11 attacks. Letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to...
to various governmental officials.
A United States Marshals Service
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
Top 15 Fugitive since March 6, 2001, Waagner also became a FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive because of the more than 280 letters that threatened to contain anthrax, which he mailed to Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
, with return addresses of the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Secret Service beginning in October 2001. In the wave of mailed letters, Waagner was accused of stalkings and threats to kill 42 low-level abortion clinic
Abortion clinic
An abortion clinic is a medical facility that primarily performs or specializes in abortions. Such clinics may be public medical centers or private medical practices.-Canada:*There were 197 abortion providers in Canada in 2001....
employees up through November 23, 2001.
On November 29, 2001 the FBI took the unusual step of releasing a press release of new information about Waagner seeking the public's assistance, while also pointing out that Waagner's letters were not associated with the recent letters that had been sent to the offices of Senators Tom Daschle
Tom Daschle
Thomas Andrew "Tom" Daschle is a former U.S. Senator from South Dakota and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
and Patrick Leahy
Patrick Leahy
Patrick Joseph Leahy is the senior United States Senator from Vermont and member of the Democratic Party. He is the first and only elected Democratic United States Senator in Vermont's history. He is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leahy is the second most senior U.S. Senator,...
which actually did contain anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
. The white powder in Waagner's letters initially tested positive for anthrax, due to the addition of a powdered insecticide
Insecticide
An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...
known to trigger false positive results.
Capture and conviction
He was captured on December 5, 2001, after a clerk at a Kinko's copy shop in Springdale, OhioSpringdale, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,563 people, 4,421 households, and 2,816 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,131.0 people per square mile . There were 4,607 housing units at an average density of 929.4 per square mile...
identified him from a photograph on a wanted poster
Wanted poster
A wanted poster is a poster distributed to let the public know of an alleged criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend. They will generally include either a picture of the alleged criminal when a photograph is available, or of a facial composite image produced by a police artist...
circulated by members of the United States Marshals Service
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
. Waagner had been known to patronize Kinko's stores in the past, and for this reason the Marshals sent a copy to every store in the chain. When arrested, he was preparing to fax
Fax
Fax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
a bomb threat
Bomb threat
A bomb threat is generally defined as a threat, usually verbal or written, to detonate an explosive or incendiary device to cause property damage, death, or injuries, whether or not such a device actually exists...
to a mass list of clinics. In addition to his earlier 15 years to life sentence in Illinois, he was convicted April 18, 2002 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
U.S District Court on separate firearms and car theft charges. For the anthrax letter spree, he received a 53-count indictment, and on December 3, 2003, he was convicted on 51 of the 53 counts, including charges of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act
Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act
The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act is a United States law that was signed by President Bill Clinton in May of 1994, which prohibits the following three things: the use of physical force, threat of physical force, or physical obstruction to intentionally injure, intimidate, interfere...
, threatening the use of weapons of mass destruction, and mailing threatening communications. He was sentenced to 19 years in a federal prison.
Prison
Waagner has distributed a manifestoManifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
while in prison, and continues to correspond with outside individuals, including other members of the Army of God. He is currently serving in United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Lewisburg is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States, south by southeast of Williamsport and north of Harrisburg. In the past, it was the commercial center for a fertile grain and general farming region. The population was 5,620 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Union...
, with a projected release date of January 17, 2046.
External links
- http://ClaytonWaagner.com
- http://www.armyofgod.com/ClayWaagnerMainPage.html
- http://www.armyofgod.com/Claytonsmessage.html
- Clayton Lee Waagner Sentenced for Abortion-Anthrax Letters
- http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/violence/clayton_waagner.html
- Anti-Choice Terrorist Clayton Waagner Convicted Of Sending Clinics Anthrax Threat Letters
- http://www.ethicalatheist.com/docs/clayton_waagner.html
- http://www.christiangallery.com/Waagner.htm