A Prophetstown man has pleaded guilty to charges that he attempted to burn down a health care facility in Danville, Illinois. 73 year old Phillip J. Buyno drove to a commercial building at 600 N. Logan Avenue in Danville. With him he carried bottles containing gasoline, a hatchet, road flares, multiple old tires, and a pack of matches. According to investigators, Buyno intended to burn the building down before it could be re-opened as a reproductive health clinic. On the morning of May 20th, 2023, Danville Police Officers located Buyno trapped in his vehicle, a Volkswagon Passat, that he’d backed into the entrance of the clinic before he became trapped inside the vehicle. Buyno was subsequently pulled from the vehicle and arrested. Buyno has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since May 2023, where he remains pending sentencing. Buyno faces statutory penalties of a minimum five years up to twenty years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, three years of supervised release, and restitution for the damage caused to the building. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, and the Danville Police Department. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller is representing the government in the prosecution.
