Lauren Handy is a 28-year-old activism director for the anti-abortion group Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising.
She was one of nine people charged in a federal grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday, which accuses the group of travelling to the capital to obstruct access to the reproductive health centre.
According to the indictment, Handy pretended to be a prospective patient named “Hazel Jenkins” when she called the clinic and scheduled an appointment for October 2020.
Prosecutors said that once she arrived, eight others forced their way inside the clinic and began blocking the doors.
Five of them chained themselves to chairs to block the treatment area, while others blocked the employee entrance to prevent other patients from entering. According to prosecutors, another suspect prevented people from entering the waiting room
Police found foetuses in Handy’s house recently when they were investigating a “potential bio-hazard material”.
Police in Washington said they couldn’t confirm whether the home where the foetuses were discovered belonged to Ms Handy. However, two law enforcement officials told the Washington Post that Ms Handy was arrested and had lived or stayed at the house.