LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Investigators said Wednesday they found several items on a railroad track in Lancaster County. They were in the Heath Springs and Pleasant Hill area of the county.
Lancaster County sheriff’s deputies said they’re worried if it keeps happening, a train could derail.
“We certainly don’t want a train derailment in Lancaster County,” said Doug Barfield, who works for the department.
Deputies said they got word from Lancaster & Chester Railway that someone was tampering with tracks along Highway 521, which runs from Kershaw to west of Chester.
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“Some of their personnel were along the tracks yesterday -- found some metal objects, particularly railroad spikes,” Barfield said.
Barfield said someone is jamming the railroad spikes into the seams of the rail. He said any obstruction to railway tracks could cause major problems.
“They’re switching points where rails are divided for train to go one way or another,” Barfield explained. “They found some spikes jam down into those switching points in rails.”
Detective Barfield said while the trains don’t carry passengers, they do carry crew members.
“People are a factor in this,” he said.
He’s also sending a message to the people behind this crime.
“The message to the people who are doing this is, don’t do it,” he said.
Barfield said tampering with railways is against the law. He said if the train derails and someone is killed, the person responsible will be charged with murder.
Deputies are asking residents to be on the lookout and report any suspicious activity they might see on or around the railroad tracks.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office at 1-803-283-3388.
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