FARMINGTON – A Lewiston man pleaded guilty today in Franklin County Superior Court to stealing a dump truck from Verso Paper Company and crashing it into some power lines, causing a power outage throughout the town of Jay. He will serve two years in prison.
James Burnell, 36, of Lewiston and Livermore Falls, pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal mischief, a Class C felony, and theft by unauthorized use of property. Burnell had two other theft convictions, elevating the theft charge to a Class C felony.
On May 19, at 8:41 p.m., the entire town of Jay experienced a power outage caused when a truck exiting Verso Co. paper mill property onto the Riley Road with its dump body up pulled power lines down.
Assistant District Attorney James Andrews said a security guard working for Verso saw the dump truck leaving the yard.
“He would have testified he heard a loud roving engine,” Andrews said, “and looked up to see a dump truck moving out of the gate with the dump truck mechanism in the up position.”
The top of the truck pulled down power lines stretched across the road. When the Jay police and fire departments arrived, they found power lines lying across the truck. Burnell, who was found inside the truck, which was locked. He was transported to Franklin Memorial Hospital following the accident.
Jay Police Chief Larry White, Sr. said at first investigators believed that Burnell was an employee of the mill, but later found out he was not an employee and had allegedly stolen the vehicle from the mill yard.
A pickup truck that was also parked in the mill yard had reportedly been taken and drove around the mill work yard and then into a wooded area and damaged. It took two hours to restore power to Jay.
Andrews said that the total amount of damage caused by Burnell was estimated at $20,800, mostly to Central Maine Power and Fairpoint Communications’ lines.
In an agreed-upon sentence, Burnell received two years to a Department of Corrections facility. He will receive credit for time served, having spent roughly nine months in prison. His attorney, Ron Hoffman, noted that paying restitution would be difficult, as his client was unable to work due to having mental health issues which required medication.
Justice Donald Marden levied a restitution of $180, ordering Burnell to pay $5 a month.
“That isn’t much money,” Marden said, “but it makes the point that you did a lot of damage that someone is going to have to pay for.”
