Two Minot men have been sentenced after pleading guilty to their role in a scheme which stole around 980 pounds of copper wire from a mine near Underwood.

Timothy Poitra, 40, and Corey Payne, 36, both of Minot, entered changes of plea in South Central District Court on June 5, pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit theft of property, both Class B felonies. Poitra also pleaded guilty to one count of possession of drug paraphernalia-methamphetamine-second offense, a Class C felony.

According to court documents, Poitra and Payne were charged in connection to four incidents of copper wire theft where spools of wires were damaged, cut and stolen from the Falkirk Mining Company at Underwood. The company suffered losses in excess of $500,000 to fix and replace the stolen wire.

McLean County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a report from the Falkirk Mining Company on Jan. 9 regarding a vehicle committing criminal trespass on its property by the copper spool area. The deputy executed a traffic stop on the vehicle, which matched a vehicle captured in security video of a Jan. 8 incident when 100 feet of copper tubing was stolen.

Poitra, and a third man named Byron Junior Backman, Minot, were in the vehicle, and a trailer towed by the vehicle was found to contain tools and a generator that could be used for cutting and transporting wire.

According to court documents, Backman admitted in an interview this was his second time participating in the wire theft, and the wire was transported and sold to a scrap metal business in Minot. Payne was in custody at the Ward County Jail at the time, and admitted to participating in the scheme with Backman on at least four occasions in November and December 2024, resulting in payouts between $57,000-66,000 in proceeds.

District Judge Daniel Borgen sentenced Payne to 10 years with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR) with three years suspended and credit for 162 days already served. Payne is required to complete three years of supervised probation upon release and to provide fingerprints and a DNA sample to law enforcement.

Borgen sentenced Poitra to three years with the DOCR with 18 months suspended and credit for 142 days already served. Poitra was also ordered to complete three years of supervised probation upon release.

Backman’s case is proceeding to trial for identical felony conspiracy counts, and two Class B misdemeanor counts of driving while license suspended and violation of registration provisions. His trial is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 21.