U.S. Chief Magistrate C.J. Williams made the decision Sept. 11 after the magistrate found in a hearing that there was probable cause to support charges of unauthorized radio transmissions levied against Randy Thompson in early August.
The 55-year-old man was arrested after Union Pacific police and telecommunications engineers compiled evidence that that between December 2016 and March 2017, Thompson made more than 75 unauthorized transmissions on railroad-specific frequencies. The interference ranged from dial tones to racial slurs to holding the transmission button down for an extended time and preventing any other employees from using the frequencies.
The railroad eventually traced the transmissions back to Thompson’s apartment in Cedar Rapids and seized a number of different electronic devices capable of transmitting on railroad frequencies.
The day after the search, Thompson is alleged to have threatened railroad employees with an aluminum baseball bat and saying, “come and get it if you guys hate me so much. You know who I am, I’m the radio man.”
Railroad officials testified that since the crews using the frequency were involved in moving trains on and off of the main line, Thompson’s interference could have caused two trains to crash into each other.
Thompson was previously being held at the Linn County Jail. His trial date has not yet been set.
