The Nation - News from April 19, 1989

A convict serving a life sentence for drug smuggling and the helicopter pilot who tried to spring him from prison but crashed were charged with conspiracy and attempted escape. Ben Kramer, a nationally known powerboat racer serving a life sentence for marijuana smuggling, and sea-urchin diver Charlie Stevens, both 34, were charged as they recuperated at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Stevens crashed his two-seater Bell helicopter Monday after it snagged on a 14-foot wire security fence around the Metropolitan Correctional Center during an attempt to take Kramer out of a recreation yard. Kramer suffered a compound fracture to his left ankle and was listed in satisfactory condition. Stevens, with two broken legs and injuries to the head, neck and back, was in good condition.