Two Senior Bandits Convicted Of CU Robbery

Two elderly bank robbers areexpected to spend the rest of their lives behind bars after being convicted by a jury on charges related to the September 2000 armed robbery at Norton Community Credit Union and the attempted murder of police during a shoot-out afterwards.

John Honore, 67, a gray-haired former barber, and his lifelong partner-in- crime Michael Sawkow, 63, have each spent lengthy terms in prison for robbing banks and are expected to spend the rest of their lives there for their latest crimes. Sawkow, who punched out the prosecutor during the trial, was found guilty of 19 felonies, including the credit union heist and three bank robberies; while Honore was found guilty of eight counts, including being the getaway car driver in the credit union hold-up. The two were captured after a high-speed chase following the credit union robbery, when police shot Sawkow while he was pulling a gun.