Man granted probation for carrying homemade firecracker into Wichita women’s clinic

The homeless man who tried to apply for work at a Wichita women’s clinic while he had a homemade firecracker in his backpack was sentenced Friday to two years of probation.

Moises R. Trevizo Jr., 20, pleaded guilty in April to one count of criminal use of explosives for entering South Wind Women’s Center at 5107 E. Kellogg with the device in his bag on Aug. 17, 2015.

A clinic security guard found the firecracker, clothing and several folding-style pocket knives in Trevizo’s bag during a search before he was escorted inside and allowed to fill out employment paperwork.

The guard showed the firecracker to a staff manager at the clinic, who became alarmed and called 911, according to an arrest affidavit released by the court last year.

The building was evacuated as a precaution, but authorities quickly determined Trevizo was not an anti-abortion protestor making a threat.

The clinic occupies the same building where George Tiller performed abortions before his 2009 murder. The clinic was damaged by a bomb in 1986.

The firecracker Trevizo carried was a roughly 3-inch-tall pill bottle with a wick or fuse poking out of it, according to authorities and court records.

Trevizo could go to prison for up to 17 months if he violates the terms of his probation, which include a ban on having contact with the clinic and staying at least 100 yards away from the property.

Sedgwick County District Court Judge Kevin O’Connor imposed the sentence.

This story was originally published June 24, 2016 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Man granted probation for carrying homemade firecracker into Wichita women’s clinic."