Monday, June 10, 2013
Trio Arrested For Taking Railroad Metal
Three persons were taken into police custody late last week when they were found to be collecting scrap metal along the railroad tracks in Leoma.
Deputies with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to the railroad tracks on Kelly Road on Friday to check a car that was parked there.
They report noticing three five-gallon buckets filled with railroad spikes, screws, and bolts sitting beside the car. While they were there, they report the driver and two passengers returned to the car.
The three said that they had been walking along the tracks for a few hours, collecting discarded metal items. They said their intent was to sell the metal as scrap and use the money to pay their utilities bill.
The deputy asked whether they had permission from Tennessee Southern Railroad to collect the metal. They said they did not, and had not “believed it would be a problem.”
Deputies report retrieving 23 railroad plates from the car trunk. Railroad officials who responded to the scene estimated they had a value of $460. Altogether, they said the scrap collected was worth around $600.
Reports show that a crow bar, wrench and hammer found in the trunk were seized into evidence, as deputies believed the items, “…had been used to retrieve the railroad items.”
The father, daughter and daughter’s boyfriend were arrested on charges of theft over $500 and criminal trespassing.
