VIRGINIA — An Iron Range city councilor who cut down a Minnesota Power support wire on his property in May, knocking out electricity to three cities, entered into a plea agreement Monday.

Joseph Christopher Vaida, 64, of McKinley, was immediately sentenced by Judge Robert Friday to five years of unsupervised probation after pleading guilty to a count of damaging an electric line.

Vaida received a stay of imposition, under which the court does not impose a felony-level sentence. Rather, the conviction will be deemed a misdemeanor if he remains law-abiding until August 2030.

Authorities said Vaida had a "long and contentious history” and engaged in “many instances of intimidating and disorderly conduct toward Minnesota Power employees” before the May 19 incident in which he disrupted ser

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