Acting United States Attorney Robert C. Stuart announced that on Jan. 17, 2018, a Grand Jury indictment was returned charging Taylor Michael Wilson, age 25 of St. Charles, Missouri, with two counts of attempting to disable a train and attempting to interfere with a locomotive engineer or railroad conductor on Oct. 23, 2017. The first count charges an attempt to wreck, derail and disable on-track railroad equipment and a mass transportation vehicle, specifically, an Amtrak train, while that train was carrying passengers and employees at the time of the offense. If convicted of the count, Wilson faces up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.
The second count charges Wilson with acting with an intent to endanger the safety of any person or with a reckless disregard for the safety of human life while attempting to interfere with, disable, or incapacitate any locomotive engineer or railroad conductor, while that person was employed in dispatching, operating, controlling, or maintaining railroad on-track equipment or a mass transportation vehicle, specifically an Amtrak train, while the train was carrying passengers and employees. If convicted of this count, Wilson faces up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.
Wilson was previously arrested pursuant to a criminal complaint. His initial appearance on the indictment will take place before Magistrate Judge Cheryl Zwart at a time to be determined later.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
