Almost ten months after the day they were falsely accused of trespassing, charges were dismissed against Terri and Tim Palmquist today in Kern County Superior Court. The Palmquists, who offer help and information to women who consider abortion, were accused of stepping on private property owned by the Family Planning Associates abortion chamber during a September 14, 2004 time of intercession and prayer.

Deputy District Attorney Chris Hinkle presented Judge Robert Tafoya with a motion to dismiss the charges during a brief hearing this morning. Hinkle explained that the prosecution's only substantive witness, FPA abortion chamber security guard Johnny Stanley, informed Hinkle that the police report was wrong. Stanley reportedly told Hinkle "I have never seen them on the property." (Stanley was the one who called the police on September 14, 2004. A few weeks later, Terri Palmquist received an arrest warrant in the mail.)

The Palmquists maintained their innocence throughout the court ordeal, emphasizing the fact that after ministering from the sidewalks for so many years "we know the boundaries."

"Although the judge and attorneys tried to pressure us to waive time so that the prosecutor could have more time to investigate, we were tired of waiting, so we refused to waive time," Tim Palmquist said. "Ten months is long enough!"

When the Palmquists rejected a plea bargain, their attorney said he no longer wanted to represent them. "We won't plead out, because we didn't do anything wrong," Terri Palmquist insisted. The Palmquists completed their case without an attorney.

"After all these months of waiting and some 30 hours spent in the courthouse, we are glad that this is over," Tim said. "However, we continue to be frustrated by the injustice which allowed this bogus case to be pursued in the first place. Recently, the District Attorney's office has refused to prosecute people who have not only trespassed on our LifeHouse property but also physically assaulted us. We had video evidence documenting the crime against us, but the abortion chamber never had any evidence against us. Why does the DA prosecute us in a bogus case while he ignores real crimes committed against us?"

Tim and Terri Palmquist serve as co-chairman of LifeSavers Ministries, which operates the LifeHouse pregnancy help center (located adjacent to the abortion chamber).