CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A 23-year-old woman who attempted to run over a group of pro-lifers ministering at a North Carolina abortion facility this past weekend was arrested and now faces criminal charges for her actions.

The situation took place on Saturday outside of A Preferred Women’s Health in Charlotte, the same facility that made headlines in 2012 when abortionist Ron Virmani referred to the African American children he aborts as being “ugly black babies.”

Members of the pro-life group Cities4Life were present that day to provide women with alternatives to abortion, and as part of the outreach, the Monroe HELP Center had its mobile ultrasound unit parked alongside the street to offer women free ultrasounds and assistance. Courtney Parks, a nurse with the ministry, told Christian News Network that the RV is at the facility four times a week, and has been a blessing in the lives of many women.

“We’ve had many instances where these ladies think that there is nothing in their womb but what the liberal media tells them—it’s just a clump of cells, just a blob of tissue, nothing there—and when I’m able to show them their eight-week little baby in their womb with a heartbeat, arms and legs moving around, …. it kind of turns a light bulb on in their head,” she explained, noting that some mothers have even seen their babies sucking their thumb.

“I’ve had so many women say, ‘That’s my baby!”” Parks continued. “People are just so grateful for us standing for the truth and standing for the babies. … They see you care, they see you want to help them and it makes them want to choose life for their baby.”

She said that over 500 babies were saved from abortion just last year because of those who have been ministering outside of abortion facilities in the city.

But not everyone is always happy to when being offered an alternative to abortion, and especially not this past weekend when 23-year-old Lacey Deese arrived at the abortion facility with a friend. Patrick Courtney, a full-time missionary who has been witnessing for Christ outside A Preferred Women’s Health for nearly two years, spoke to Deese when she arrived.

“She kind of made a gesture and she said that we were losers and other [not so] nice words, and I just told her that I loved her and cared about her,” he recalled.

However, when Deese left the facility, Courtney realized that matters were about to get worse. He said that he wanted to offer Deese a booklet as she drove off, but soon saw that she began to direct her car right toward him—not to take the booklet, but to strike him as he stood in the grass just off the driveway. Courtney stepped back, but his arm still made impact with her windshield, and Deese sped off down the street.

But it didn’t end there. Deese came back again and again, making rounds past the pro-lifers while driving erratically.

“One of our team members actually stopped her and asked her to slow down because she was driving so recklessly,” Parks recalled, “and she (Deese) cussed her out.”

Parks began filming with her cellphone, and she and others called 911. On one round, while blowing the horn, Deese’s car went up on the sidewalk just feet from a group of elderly volunteers with 40 Days for Life.

“We have pictures of tire tracks in the mud and grass where she came all the way up on the sidewalk,” Parks said. “Literally, if they hadn’t dove out of the way, she would have mowed them over. It was one of the scariest moments I’ve ever had.”

“Being a firefighter, I know about all those things that could have happened,” Courtney stated. “Things could have been a whole lot worse. People could have died there.”

Police soon tracked down Deese and took her into custody. Online arrest details state that Deese has been charged with “reckless driving to endanger.”

Courtney went to the local emergency room to have his arm checked out, and returned home. Both he and Parks state that they hold no ill will against Deese, but believe that the woman must be hurting inside to have acted out in the way that she did.

“I’ve done a lot of spiritual warfare, and I knew it wasn’t the young lady [doing this]; it was the spirit behind her,” Courtney said. “Because I told her I loved her, my heart is that seed that Jesus planted there will grow. And if I never see the result, it’s just my prayer that Christ will come into her life.”

“We know this young lady is hurting,” Parks agreed. “We don’t hold any hard feelings for her. We’ve been praying for her. Our ultimate prayer is that she comes to know the Lord.”

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