Pro-life activist, second defendant in Planned Parenthood case, surrenders

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Pro-life activist David Daleiden made his first court appearance in Harris County after being indicted last week by a grand jury on two criminal charges.

Daleiden was charged with tampering with a governmental document via his fake ID, and attempting to buy or sell human organs.  The 27-year-old was offered a plea deal with pretrial diversion, but Daleidan's attorneys rejected the offer.

The case stems from Daleiden's actions and that of his partner Sandra Merritt. Prosecutors said they ran an undercover sting against Planned Parenthood. 

The two activists secretly recorded Planned Parenthood employees in Houston talking about fetal tissue.

Daleiden's attorney compared his work to that of Mike Wallace and 60 Minutes.

Daleiden says, "I'm very grateful for all the support from the public, especially the people of Houston who are out here to send a strong message that Houston's children and their body parts are not for sale by Planned Parenthood."

Outside of the courthouse, dozens of pro-life supporters held a press conference announcing they'd collected thousands of signatures they're turning over to District Attorney Devon Anderson asking her to drop the charges.

Both defendants in the case are due back in court on March 28th.