LEWISTON — An Auburn man who hopped a freight train in hopes of hitching a ride to Livermore Falls made it only as far as Leeds, where he was met by police who took him to jail.

Kenneth Drake, 22, of 355 Court St. pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors: riding a freight train, punishable by up to six months in jail; and refusing to submit to arrest, punishable by up to 364 days in jail.

He was sentenced to 10 days in jail on each charge, to be served at the same time.

Rick Fowler, an officer at the Boston and Maine Railroad Police Department, wrote in a sworn affidavit that he answered a call Monday night from a Pan Am Railways dispatcher that an unauthorized person was aboard the freight train in Leeds.

Fowler drove to Bog Road in Leeds, where he met with a Maine State Police trooper as the train slowed to a stop at a crossing. The train’s crew told Fowler that someone had tried to gain access to the lead locomotive compartment by banging on the door. That person was still on the second locomotive, he was told.

Fowler wrote that he found Drake sitting on the engineer’s seat, ear buds plugged in his ears. Drake appeared to be drunk and told Fowler that Livermore Falls had been his destination.

Fowler arrested Drake and handcuffed him before removing him from the train with help from the trooper, Fowler wrote in his affidavit.

Fowler sat Drake in the front seat of his cruiser and began driving to Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn. But, during the drive, Drake unfastened his seat belt and tried to bite Fowler’s arm several times, he wrote. Drake continued to try to open his car door while the cruiser was moving. Fowler pepper sprayed Drake in an effort to subdue him, he wrote.

Drake appeared Tuesday before a judge in 8th District Court in Lewiston where he was sentenced.

[email protected]