Maryland – Man pleads guilty to stealing railroad tracks

Randy Penkert of Upper Marlboro has pleaded guilty to theft over $100,000 Tuesday in Howard County Circuit Court. CSX railroad police were investigating an industrial park in Columbia in October 2015 and several hundred feet of rail, tie plates and spikes were missing. Prosecutors say 50-year-old Penkert worked at the scene. Penkert produced a fake contract claiming he owned a recycling company that was contracted to remove and scrap track. His sentencing will be Aug. 25 and he faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.