A pile of steel railway tie plates.

28 April 2011

Railway Theft Thwarted by Citizen

Chatham Ontario - Two men face theft charges after allegedly trying to make off with steel tie plates from the Canadian Pacific Railway near Grand Avenue East.
 
Chatham-Kent police said a citizen reported the theft in progress shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday after spotting two men loading a truck with steel tie plates.
 
Once the truck was loaded, the citizen followed it and provided police with a detailed description and licence plate number.
 
An officer located the truck on McNaughton Avenue and tried to stop it.
 
The truck continued to Given Road and was pulled into a driveway.
 
Police said the driver, a 45-year-old man, allegedly fled on foot. He was located at a nearby residence.
 
The passenger, a 19-year-old man from Rutherford, remained in the vehicle and was arrested.
 
The driver is charged with theft under $5,000, possession of stolen property, and flight from police.
 
The passenger is charged with theft under $5,000 and possession of stolen property.