CHICAGO - A former Metra commuter agency worker hired a friend who shot at two commuter trains in an attempt to kill the worker's ex-wife, a Metra engineer assigned to operate those trains, according to charges unsealed Monday and published in the Chicago Tribune. Five shots were fired last year at the train at a South Side station, authorities said, but as it turned out, the ex-wife wasn't on the train and no one was injured. Theodore Howard was arrested Sunday evening by FBI agents at his home in Chicago, the FBI said.
Howard, 48, was charged with interference with the operation of a train and weapons charges. Prosecutors alleged in court Monday that he hired Telly Virgin, 32, of Chicago, to kill Howard's ex-wife. He was charged last year in the attacks and is awaiting trial.
According to the charges, Virgin fired a .25-caliber handgun at an approaching train at the Stewart Ridge station at 121st Street and Harvard Avenue on June 6 and 8, 2007. In both instances, train crews saw the gunman, dropped to the floor and heard bullets hit the train, authorities said.
The newspaper said that Howard worked for Metra's buildings and bridges department and also worked on track until he left in 2005, according to Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet. He was listed under the name of Bryant Cassidy in Metra employment records, she said.