(The following report appeared on The Raleigh Telegram website on August 11.)
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — According to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, two men were arrested for stealing railroad tracks as a rash of metal thefts continues across the state.
Debbie Tanna, the Public Information Officer with the Sheriff’s Office said that the railroad tracks and other items stolen were property belonging to the CSX railroad system.
Deputies arrested, Kenneth Ray Watts, Jr., age 23, of 1448 Middlesbrough Drive, Fayetteville and Terry Walton Green, age 38, of 182 Williams Lane in Roseboro. Police say that both men are charged with misdemeanor larceny and 2nd degree trespassing.
The Sheriff’s Office said that the men were arrested on Tuesday, August 5th alongside the CSX railroad tracks near Camden and Crystal Springs Roads in Cumberland County at around 7pm.
Investigators said that Watts and Green had driven a black SUV to around 100 yards from the Camden Road overpass and were walking along the tracks.
“Upon searching the vehicle, detectives discovered 40 steel plates ranging in weight from 10 to 20 pounds, 25 railroad spikes and 5 sections of railroad tracks, approximately 3 feet long,” said Debbie Tanna, the Public Information Officer with the Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives seized the stolen property, contacted CSX railroad officials and impounded Green’s vehicle, said the Sheriff’s Office. Both men were arrested and taken to the Cumberland County jail and placed under a one thousand dollar secured bond.
Metal items have been the target in literally hundreds of cases of theft throughout North Carolina. Recent cases have involved thieves taking manhole covers in Durham, catalytic converters in Raleigh, copper wiring from churches, and even live electrical power lines in Durham County in an effort to sell the items to scrap metal dealers in the state.