AUBURN – Jason Begin, the Lewiston man accused of stealing an airplane in Turner and crashing it in Canada, claims he cannot be held responsible for his actions because he is mentally ill.

Begin, 26, appeared in Androscoggin County Superior Court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to a charge of theft and four earlier charges of sexual assault.

Police say Begin was trying to avoid prosecution for the sex charges when he stole a Cessna 150 from Twitchell’s Airport on Sept. 27. Police believe he was headed for Montreal when he ran out of gas and crashed the two-seater plane in an open field.

Begin, who lives on Howe Street, survived the crash with minor injuries. The plane, which belonged to an airplane mechanic from Buckfield, was totalled.

According to court papers, Begin was eventually taken to a mental institution in Montreal where a psychologist determined that he could not be held responsible for any violations of Canadian law.

Begin’s local lawyer, Verne Paradie, wants a judge in Maine to make the same determination.

Since returning to Maine, Begin has been evaluated by a clinical psychologist. The results of the evaluation are not available to the public, so the nature of his mental illness remains unknown.

Begin’s mother told police after the plane crash that her son suffered from depression, and it became worse after he was charged with the sex crimes.

The three charges of unlawful sexual contact and one charge of gross sexual assault facing Begin stem from two incidents in 1998 and 2001. They involve a girl and a boy, who are both younger than 14.

Begin was scheduled to go to trial for the sex charges last November.

He told his mother at one point that he was was scared to go to jail because he was afraid that the other inmates would beat him up, according to a police affidavit.

At Begin’s request, his trial will be heard by a judge, not a jury. Paradie believes that is appropriate given the complicated nature of the medical testimony.

Begin is being held in Androscoggin County Jail. He will not go free, even if the judge rules that he is not guilty by reason of insanity or “mental defect.”

Under Maine law, he would be handed over to the state Department of Behavioral and Developmental Services and he likely would be committed to the Augusta Mental Health Institute.

If a judge rules that he can be held responsible for the crimes, he could face up to 40 years in prison.

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