FARMINGTON – A man accused of stealing two trucks from Verso Paper changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced Friday to two years in prison.

James Burnell, 36, also known as James Hodges, with addresses in Lewiston, Jay and Livermore Falls, was brought to Franklin County Superior Court from a Farmington jail where he had been since his arrest last May.

He was accused of driving a large Verso dump truck out of the mill yard with the bed raised, knocking down power lines, generators and snapping a pole as it drove onto Riley Road.

Live power lines covered the dump truck and power was out throughout Jay, Dixfield and Canton for much of the evening.

A few hours later officials learned that a pickup truck parked in the mill yard had been taken and was found in a creek on the mill property.

Although damage was more than $20,000, Justice Donald Marden questioned Burnell’s ability to pay restitution. With mental health issues requiring five medications, Burnell has been unable to work for more than 10 years, defense attorney Ron Hoffman said. Living on Social Security payments, he can’t pay restitution, Hoffman said.

After accepting his guilty plea for charges of aggravated criminal mischief and unauthorized use of property, Marden told him the plea indicated he knew what he was doing and that he caused a lot of damage.

Marden then ordered restitution of $180 based on a $5 payment a month over 36 months.

“It’s not much money but it makes a point. You did a lot of damage that someone else has to pay for . . . you need to pay something back,” Marden told him.

Central Maine Power and FairPoint Communications each incurred losses. CMP’s total for lines and a pole was estimated at about $16,000, James Andrews, assistant district attorney, told the court.

At the time of the incident, Burnell was out on bail from Franklin County Superior Court. Marden sentenced him to 30 days on a third charge of violating condition of release. All sentences will run concurrently.