FLAT ROCK, N.C. -- Two men face deportation after they were arrested in the theft of more than 500 railroad spikes from train tracks still in use in western North Carolina.
Multiple media outlets reported Tuesday the men were charged in connection with the spikes from train tracks near Flat Rock.
Police say they found 37-year-old Cruz Mario Carnacion and 35-year-old Jose Luis Trejo-Yanez with more than 500 7-inch steel spikes, which can be sold for scrap.
Henderson County Sheriff Rick Davis says the missing spikes could have caused a derailment.
The men are charged with conspiracy to damage railroad property, willful injury to railroad property and trespassing on railroad property. They're being held on Immigration and Customs Enforcement orders pending deportation proceedings.
It was unclear if they had attorneys.
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