(The following appeared on the Sandusky Register website on March 30, 2010.)
LA CARNE, Ohio — Two young Toledo men hopped a train and got taken for a ride they weren’t expecting late Sunday night.
George C. Mathers, 18, and Torrance L. Flowers, 19, jumped onto what they thought was a slow-moving train in Toledo, only to find themselves roaring down the tracks into Ottawa County at 70 mph.
According to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s office, the young men realized they couldn’t get off the speeding train and called 911 from a cell phone.
The dispatcher contacted railroad officials, who decided to stop all eastbound trains traveling through the county to prevent anyone from being hurt during the incident.
The men got off the slowing train near Ohio 163 and South Thomas Drive in La Carne. Sheriff’s deputies found the men and arrested them for criminal trespassing.