Alleged plane thief faced 2 sex charges

TURNER – The man who stole a plane from the Turner airport and crashed it in a Canadian field was facing two sex charges in Maine, police said.

Jason Begin, 25, of Lewiston hot-wired a Cessna 150 from Twitchell’s Airport on Saturday morning and ran out of gas three hours later near Montreal.

Begin, who does not have a pilot’s license, suffered minor injuries. Police said he may have taught himself how to fly with a computer program.

Sgt. William Gagne of the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department said Begin was out on bail on charges of unlawful sexual contact and gross sexual assault.

A warrant has been issued in Maine charging Begin with theft and violating bail conditions. He will be extradited to Maine as soon as the Canadian courts are finished with him, Gagne said.