FARGO, N.D. — A Fargo man has been sentenced to four days in jail for attempting to derail a BNSF Railway train in May 2020, a sentence which drew the ire of the U.S. attorney in the case.
The Fargo Forum reports U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley said in a statement issued Friday that “we take strong exception to a sentence that allows the defendant to walk free, avoiding the applicable guideline sentence of 2 to 2 1/2 years in federal prison.”
U.S. District Judge Peter Welte sentenced Sklar Dayne Goodman, 19, to four days in jail and three years of supervised release after his conviction on charges of attempting to derail a train and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding. Goodman must also pay $3,124 in restitution to the railroad.
In the incident, a rerailer — which had been spray-painted black instead of its usual yellow — was left on the track at a crossing near Casselton, N.D. Investigation by the railroad and FBI determined Goodman had placed the device, and later threatened a witness who made a statement that appeared to exonerate Goodman.
Share this article
