ST. LOUIS — A 21-year-old Missouri man has admitted to stealing more than $1.5 million in railroad equipment in Missouri and Illinois.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said in a press release that Jesse Henry of Laclede County, Mo., pleaded guilty on Friday, Feb. 28, to one count of damaging a railroad signal system, and admitted to being responsible to 33 thefts out of railroad bungalows in the two states. He stole equipment, signs, plans, and blueprints from the bungalows.
Railroads contacted local and federal law enforcement in spring 2023 after noticing an increase in thefts. Among items stolen were equipment controlling a grade crossing at Seeger Lane in Foristell, Mo., on Aug. 8, 2023. A passing train crew noticed the crossing signal was not function and the crossing gates were down. The FBI traced the theft to Henry; a court-ordered search of his family’s home near Richland, Mo., on Nov. 28, 2023, recovered the equipment from Foristell, as well as dozens of other items.
Henry is scheduled to be sentenced June 4. The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both
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