Pa. man, 77, gets 4 months for aiding son's escape plan

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A central Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to four months in prison for planning his son’s attempted prison escape so he could avoid a murder charge in Peru.

William Trickett Smith Sr. was sentenced today in federal court.

The 77-year-old from Harrisburg pleaded guilty in September to charges he assisted in the attempted escape and lied to investigating agents.

Prosecutors say the plan involved paying off a guard at a state prison where Smith’s son was being held on a parole violation.

They say an early plan failed when a prosecutor rejected a private criminal complaint Smith Sr. filed to ensure his son would be transported from prison to a judge’s office.

William Trickett Smith II was charged in Peru in his wife’s 2007 death. Authorities there sought his extradition.