A Prophetstown man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempted arson of a building at 600 N. Logan Ave. in Danville in May. 73 year old Philip J. Buyno is scheduled for sentencing in February at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Urbana.
In court Buyno admitted that, on May 20, he brought several containers filled with gasoline with him and used his car to breach the front entrance of the building for the purpose of burning it down before it could be used as a reproductive health clinic. The building has been the center of controversy in Danville for several months. During the hearing, the government stated that Danville police officers responded to an alarm around 4:30 a.m. Officers found Buyno stuck inside a car that he had backed into the entrance of the building, which was under renovation. During a search of the car, FBI Agents found bottles containing gasoline, a hatchet, road flares, multiple old tires and a pack of matches. Agents also found that Buyno had fortified the trunk of the car with 4x4 wooden beams.
