Man charged in theft of railroad wiring

TEXARKANA -- The theft of copper wire from railroad tracks in Texarkana in April created a public hazard, a prosecutor said.

ADVERTISEMENT

More headlines

Prosecutors in Miller County formally charged Jeffrey Duane Procella, 39, last week in theft of metal and felony criminal mischief in the removal of signal wire from a Union Pacific Corp. railroad track in Texarkana.

When signal wire is damaged, the flow of critical railroad information is disrupted. Malfunctioning signals have the potential to cause a train wreck.

"What looks like something small could create a big danger to the public," Deputy Prosecuting Attorney David Cotten said.

Procella is accused of stealing copper wire from the tracks near the Union Pacific signal box near Pinehurst Street in Texarkana, according to a probable-cause affidavit.

Union Pacific reported about 30 feet of "signal shunt wire" stolen from the tracks on the morning of April 19. Because of earlier thefts, railroad personnel had installed a video camera in the area and were able to provide surveillance footage to investigators.

While a detective and a Union Pacific signalman were returning the memory card to the surveillance camera near the scene of the wire thefts, Procella walked up "to the row and onto the tracks near where" the signalman had just repaired the shunt wires, the affidavit said. The investigator noticed a resemblance between Procella and the images of the man stealing the wire caught on camera, the affidavit said.

Procella has been in jail since his arrest. Circuit Judge Kirk Johnson set bail at $100,000.

Theft of metal and criminal mischief are both punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. However, Procella is facing an enhanced punishment range of up to 15 years in prison because he has four or more prior felony convictions.

Metro on 08/04/2015

Upcoming Events