Helicopter Escapees Convicted

A federal jury today convicted two lovers who claimed they fled federal prison in a stolen helicopter because they feared the officials who ran the institution.

Defendants Ronald McIntosh, 42, and Samantha Dorinda Lopez, 37, sat silently at a counsel table as the verdicts were read in U.S. District Court. McIntosh was found guilty of air piracy and helping Lopez escape. McIntosh, who had been scheduled for release next year, could be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Lopez, who would have been eligible for parole in about five years, was convicted of escape.