A Missouri resident, Jesse Henry, has admitted to stealing railroad equipment on 33 separate occasions across Missouri and Illinois. The thefts resulted in more than $1.5 million in damages to the railroads.
Henry, aged 21 from Laclede County, entered a guilty plea at the U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a charge of damaging a railroad signal system. He confessed to committing these thefts from various railroad bungalows during 2022 and 2023. These bungalows house essential railroad gear, including control equipment, signs, plans, and blueprints.
In early 2023, an uptick in such thefts prompted railroads to seek help from local and federal law enforcement agencies. One notable incident involved the theft of a crossing controller at the Seeger Lane crossing in Foristell, Missouri on August 8, 2023. A train crew observed that the crossing signal was malfunctioning and the road gates were down, posing potential danger to vehicles attempting to bypass them.
The FBI traced this theft back to Henry and conducted a court-sanctioned search of his family's residence near Richland, Missouri on November 28, 2023. During this search, they recovered several stolen items including the crossing controller from Foristell along with blueprints, schematics, documents, and numerous signs.
Henry's sentencing is set for June 4 next year. The offense carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment or a $250,000 fine or both.
The investigation was carried out by the FBI with assistance from the affected railroads. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang is leading the prosecution.
