National News

Sentencing set in Philadelphia SUV on runway case

Posted: 10/24/12 at 8:15 am EDT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A man who drove an SUV on to the runway of Philadelphia International Airport says he's has undergone treatment for prescription drug addiction that contributed to the incident that forced a passenger jet on final approach to abort its landing.

Twenty-five-year-old Kenneth Mazik is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday for crashing through a gate on March 1 and leading police on a runway chase at speeds topping 100 mph.

Mazik, of Chadds Ford, pleaded guilty in July to federal charges of disrupting airport operations and endangering passengers. Mazik told a judge he was addicted to the ADHD drug Adderall and was under stress because he recently became a father.

Mazik is seeking a sentence below the 18-to-24-month guideline, citing successful drug and alcohol treatment and extreme remorse.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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