MACEDONIA, Ohio -- Two Garfield Heights men who claimed they were railroad aficionados were turned over to Norfolk-Southern railroad police after Macedonia police found they had gathered more than two dozen iron tie plates from around the rail line to sell for scrap, The News Leader reported.
A Macedonia police officer reported that he noticed a vehicle parked without its lights on by the railroad tracks in town around 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 16.
The officer reported the men, ages 20 and 19, told him their hobby is watching trains and said they were members of a club.
The officer said he looked in their car and noticed several rusty tie plates inside and asked the two what they were going to do with the metal.
The two reportedly admitted they were going to sell the metal for scrap and the police department notified Norfolk-Southern Railroad police, who arrived on scene and took the two men into custody.
Police recovered about 30 of the metal plates from the men's vehicle and reported they were worth approximately $250.
The two were turned over to railroad police, who charged with trespassing and theft, according to Macedonia police.
(The preceding report appeared on the Web site www.the-news-leader.com on October 14, 2009.)
