Baltimore Man Sentenced Home Detention for Assault on Elderly Pro-Life Advocates

Patrick Brice was sentenced to one year of home detention and three years of probation for assaulting two elderly pro-life advocates outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Baltimore in 2023. The attack left Mark Crosby with permanent eye damage and fractured facial bones, while Richard Schaefer suffered serious injuries after being tackled into a concrete planter. Despite prosecutors seeking a 10-year prison sentence, the judge granted Brice probation and home detention, prompting outrage from pro-life groups who called the sentence a "slap on the wrist." Brice claimed he "snapped" following a heated argument and a perceived racial remark, but video footage showed a brutal, unprovoked assault. The jury convicted him of two counts of second-degree assault and reckless endangerment, but could not agree on a first-degree assault charge. The case has sparked criticism regarding leniency in Baltimore's justice system, especially in cases involving violence against pro-life advocates.