The Nation - News from April 19, 1989

A millionaire drug smuggler and a helicopter pilot who were injured during an attempt to free the smuggler from a federal prison southwest of Miami were charged with escape. Former powerboat champion Ben Kramer and pilot Charles Clayton Stevens, both 34, were charged in a federal complaint in Miami with escape, assisting in an attempt to escape and damage to federal property in excess of $100. Both men were hospitalized because of injuries suffered when a two-seat Bell helicopter piloted by Stevens slammed into a fence Monday and crashed back into the exercise yard at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Both Kramer and Stevens were listed in serious condition, Kramer with a broken ankle and Stevens with two broken legs and neck and back injuries.