The arrest of a Lakeland woman last month for allegedly hurling a pair of underwear toward a Polk County sheriff’s deputy gained statewide attention.
But Bonnie Patterson-James will not be prosecuted for battery on a law enforcement officer, the charge that led to her arrest two days after her protest at the dedication of a pregnancy center in Lakeland. Instead, Patterson-James faces a lesser charge, one that raises questions about how far citizens may go in expressing disapproval of politicians or causes.
The State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit filed an information, or charging document, on June 8 accusing Patterson-James of violating a state law that forbids willfully interrupting or disturbing any school “or any assembly of people met for the worship of God or for any lawful purpose.” The charge of attempted disturbance of a lawful assembly is a second-degree misdemeanor, in contrast to original charge, a third-degree felony.
Patterson-James joined other volunteers at the Lakeland Women’s Health Center in protesting a dedication and groundbreaking event May 16 at the adjacent property of Options for Women, a Christian-affiliated center that offers pregnancy testing, other services and counseling aimed at deterring women from pursuing abortions. Florida Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland, spoke during the dedication, attended by a few dozen supporters of Options for Women.
The SAO document supports the charge by saying that Patterson-James “utilized a ladder to position herself above a solid fence in order to shout down to the people assembled below, while using a handheld electronic megaphone to greatly amplify her voice, thus endeavoring to willfully and maliciously interrupt or disturb an assembly of people met for any lawful purpose.”
People witnessed Patterson-James gripping a pink bullhorn and heckling Canady and other speakers from her perch above the white, plastic fence. Referring to Canady as “Jenny,” she called out a variety of criticisms: “Shame on you! Forced births! Women will die!”
Canady co-sponsored a bill passed in this year’s legislative session barring most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a point at which many women don’t yet know they are pregnant. The bill, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, also allocates $25 million for a network of private pregnancy centers, including Options for Women, that oppose abortion.
Patterson-James was not the only volunteer with the Lakeland Women’s Health Center who expressed criticism of the adjacent facility. A large, homemade banner positioned above the wall listed claims about crisis pregnancy centers. It said that they are not legally obligated to have medically trained staff members, do not inform clients of the options of contraception and abortion and are not bound by medical privacy rules.
Other protesters held signs that read “Mind your own uterus” and “My body, my choice.” None of the other protesters on the clinic property, though, could be heard calling out during the ceremony.
Two Lakeland Police Department officers stood to the side of the white tent under which the Options for Women supporters sat. Those officers were on an “extra-duty detail,” meaning they had been hired to provide security, LPD spokesperson Robin Tillett later said.
As Patterson-James heckled the ceremony’s orators, forcing them to speak more loudly while using a microphone, local media asked the LPD officers if she was committing a crime. One officer said that she was not because she was on private property and had permission to be there.
No warnings during event
Polk County Sheriff’s Captain Billy Strickland attended the dedication as a guest in place of Sheriff Grady Judd, who had been invited but could not attend, a PCSO spokesperson said. Strickland made no apparent attempt to approach or arrest Patterson-James during the dedication. The alleged throwing of underwear, bearing a sticker with the printed message “RiseUp4AbortionRights.org,” occurred after the event’s conclusion.
In the initial arrest report, another PCSO deputy briefly mentioned Patterson-James’ heckling activities while focusing on the alleged throwing of panties and the aftermath.
“They took positions along the vinyl fence, standing on ladders and props while using bullhorns and signage to vocalize their disenchantment with Representative Canady and the business practices of Options for Women,” Deputy Jacob Moore wrote.
Patterson-James said that a PCSO deputy pulled her over two days later as she drove on the Polk Parkway, allegedly because she merged without signaling. Upon learning of a warrant, the deputy arrested her and took her to jail in Bartow, where she was strip-searched and spent a few hours in custody, Patterson-James said.
The activist said she had noticed law-enforcement vehicles following her in the days after her arrest, and she decided to sell her easily recognized vehicle, nicknamed “Matilda,” which was painted hot pink and had simulated eyelashes above the headlights.
Patterson-James filed paperwork on June 16 to challenge Canady as a Democrat next year in Florida House District 50.
Scott Wilder, a spokesperson for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, said a search of the agency’s records found no examples since the start of 2021 of an arrest on the charge of interrupting or disturbing a lawful assembly.
The document from the State Attorney’s Office emphasized that Patterson-James had failed to disrupt the event at Options for Women, hence the “attempted” charge.