Will Serve A Two-Year Prison Sentence

The Canadian student pilot who stole an airplane in Canada and flew it into the U.S. will spend two years in prison for his exploit, a judge said Tuesday.

File Photo

31-Year-Old Adam Dylan Leon stole a Cessna 172 from an Ontario flight school April 6th and flew it across the U.S.-Canada border. He led CBP and military aircraft on a 7 1/2 hour chase before landing on a rural road about 120 miles south of St. Louis, Missouri.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that District Judge Charles Shaw sentenced Leon to more than the 12-18 months suggested by federal guidelines. "Under the guidelines, this is treated like a stolen car," Shaw said. "This is very serious. I think this is an extraordinary situation in terms of cost and the hours involved. And it posed a significant disruption to government."

The Wisconsin capital in Madison was evacuated, and there were alerts issued in a half-dozen Midwestern cities.

Leon's attorney Lucy Liggett said he suffers from severe depression, and "(h)e was hoping he would die in a plane crash." The pursuit cost the government some $230,000. Judge Shaw said a lenient sentence might embolden those who might wish to cause harm to the United States.

FMI: www.moed.uscourts.gov