Man behind Kalamazoo Planned Parenthood arson sentenced to 5 years

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WILX) - The man who pleaded guilty to one count of arson at a Planned Parenthood in July was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.

25-year-old Joshua Brereton of Paw Paw, Michigan set fire to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Kalamazoo, Michigan in July 2022. As part of his guilty plea, Joshua Brereton admitted that he went to a Walmart in Paw Paw, where he purchased torch fuel, a fire starter log, a utility lighter, and a black baseball cap. He also admitted to posting a video to his YouTube channel where he referred to abortion as genocide.

Background: Man pleads guilty to arson in Kalamazoo Planned Parenthood fire

A judge ordered Brereton to pay $32,699.45 in restitution for damages.

U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said violence is never an acceptable means to settle our disputes.

“Today and every day, my office will hold wrongdoers accountable for political violence,” said Totten. “This particular act of violence was an attack on a health care clinic. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan is committed to protecting access to reproductive services and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to defend those rights protected by federal law.”

Subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning.