In a recent confession, Jesse Henry, a 21-year-old Missouri man, has admitted to a spree of thefts, netting over $1.5 million in stolen railroad property. According to a U.S. Department of Justice report, Henry pleaded guilty to one count of damaging a railroad signal system in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. His criminal endeavors spanned 33 separate instances of theft from railroad bungalows across Missouri and Illinois in the years 2022 and 2023.

The thefts involved the misappropriation of a variety of railroad equipment, such as control details, signs, and blueprints. Henry's activities eventually caught the attention of railroads in Spring 2023, who re sponded by alerting federal, and local law enforcement. A significant incident involved the theft of a crossing controller at the Seeger Lane crossing in Foristell, Missouri, where a malfunction attributed to the missing equipment was spotted by a train crew on August 8, 2023.

Through an investigation led by the FBI, Henry was identified as the perpetrator, and a subsequent search of his family's home near Richland, Missouri, yielded the stolen items. Recovered goods included the aforementioned crossing controller, along with various other railroad paraphernalia.

With Henry's sentencing date set for June 4, he faces the possibility of up to 20 years in prison, or a $250,000 fine, or potentially both. This outcome comes as a sobering end to a series of actions that compromised the safety and operations of numerous railroad systems. In a case that unfolded over two years, the interruption of vital railroad functions portrayed a narrative of blatant disregard for public safety and infrastructure.