April 1, 2012
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

DEPUTIES ARREST 3 FOR SCRAPPING METAL FROM TRAIN TRACKS

Coming at about 3 a.m. Saturday morning, light beams and banging sounds in the vicinity of the CSX railroad tracks just west of DeLand were pretty sure signs that something was wrong. Sure enough, when Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the scene to investigate, they rolled up on a crime in progress -- illegal scrappers yanking metal off the tracks.

Deputies were called to the scene at 3:16 a.m. after a resident said he could see light from flashlights while he sat on his porch. When deputies arrived a few minutes later, they not only could see the lights, but they also heard the distinctive clanging of metal on metal. While deputies continued to observe from the ground, a Sheriff’s Office helicopter was dispatched to the scene to check things out from the sky. When they did, three people were seen scurrying away from the tracks. As ground deputies got closer, they spotted stacks of railroad spikes, clamps and plates along with a couple of plastic buckets and tools to yank the metal from the tracks, including hammers, a crow bar and a tire iron. A short distance away, deputies located the three suspects and took them into custody. A woman went along, but didn’t take part in pulling the metal from the tracks. The other two defendants admitted spending about two hours yanking the metal parts and planning to sell them for scrap.

The defendants are: Francis Bowen, age 18 (DOB: 7/29/93); Jeffery Bowen, age 36 (DOB: 5/2/75); and Jahazel Fleming, age 31 (DOB: 1/23/81). All three were charged with grand theft, interference with railroad tracks and trespassing. Deputies seized the pickup truck they arrived in.