Joyrider Sentenced

A young man who according to his sentencing judge loaded two young friends aboard a Cessna 172 in Danbury, Conn., and flew it for three hours before landing almost out of fuel and “drunk” at Westchester, N.Y., will have another year in jail to think about that night. He’ll also have six months of enforced rehab to sort out the alcohol problem that he’s now admitted to having. A Connecticut judge imposed the sentence last week after Philippe Patricio, now 21, pleaded guilty to a string of charges relating to the incident on June 22, 2005. He had already been in jail for nine months on charges laid by New York authorities. Judge Douglas Mintz called Patricio’s behavior “totally outrageous” and said it’s a miracle he didn’t kill himself and his teenaged passengers that night. “It’s bad enough to drive drunk. To fly drunk is totally unacceptable,” Mintz said. Patricio has a history of drinking a driving and his lawyer told reporters he’s looking forward to rehab to conquer the alcohol problem.