Last week, a former director at a Connecticut Planned Parenthood killed himself after police raided the wrong apartment and failed to take him into custody.
Tim Yergeau, 36, worked at the Planned Parenthood of Southern New England in New Haven, Connecticut from 2018 to 2022 as the director of strategic communications. The FBI was investigating Yergeau on child pornography charges.
New Haven Police Special Victims Unit was investigating Tim Yergeau on child pornography charges, reportedly with enough evidence to warrant the search of his home and the seizure of his electronic devices. However, when police arrived at his apartment complex, they accidentally raided his neighbor's house, putting her in handcuffs before they realized their mistake.
The Middleton Press reported on the neighbor's reaction to having her door broken down in the middle of the night:
The raid, which occurred on the morning of April 6, traumatized Yergeau's neighbor, Stacey Wezenter, when officers broke down her door and handcuffed her before realizing they had the wrong apartment, she said.
"Every time I walk down my hallway, I relive it," said Wezenter, whose two children, ages 20 and 4, were home when police barged through the door.
"What if I had a gun permit? What if I came down the hallway with a gun? Would I have gotten shot? What if my 4-year-old had woken up? Would they have shot him?" Wezenter said Wednesday. "You just don't do that to people."
When officers realized their error, they proceeded to Yergeau's apartment and took possession of his devices; however, for some unknown reason, they did not take him into custody at that time.
Five days later, Yergeau still had not been arrested when he reportedly took his own life, according to New Haven police chief Karl Jacobson, who is recommending an internal affairs investigation over the botched raid.
As for Yergeau, he had left Planned Parenthood in 2022 to serve as the director of marketing and communications for Long Wharf Theatre, and had previously worked for the New Haven Free Public Library.
Social media users commented on Yergeau's ideological stances, with Elon Musk also weighing in.
Live Action also notes that Yergeau's Instagram repeatedly features Planned Parenthood's slogan "Bans off our Bodies" slogan.
