Canada turns over alleged plane thief

TURNER – A Lewiston man who spent three months in a Canadian jail after he allegedly stole a plane from the Turner airport and crashed it in a field near Montreal will be back home for Christmas.

Jason Begin, 25, was being turned over Tuesday night to Androscoggin County sheriff’s deputies at the Canadian border.

Begin is charged with theft in the Sept. 27 incident in which he allegedly used a screwdriver and pliers to hot-wire a 1976 Cessna at Twitchell’s Airport.

Police say Begin then flew the plane into Canada before it ran out of fuel and crashed. He suffered minor injuries and was immediately captured by Canadian authorities.

Investigators believe Begin, who does not have a pilot’s license, was trying to reach Montreal in hopes of escaping two sexual assault charges in Androscoggin County.

The plane, valued at $24,000, was demolished in the crash. It belonged to Buckfield airplane mechanic Cedric Abbott.

Begin was detained in Canada on immigration and stolen-property charges but police agreed to turn him over to U.S. investigators.

Detective William Gagne of the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department said Begin would be held in the county jail in Auburn.

If convicted of the sex charges, he could face up to 40 years in prison, Gagne said, while the theft charge could bring 10 years.