KSTP TV in Minneapolis reports that police responded to calls for two men jumping between freight cars. Police say Canadian Pacific employees followed the men and wrote down their license plate number when they fled. When police caught up with the car, police say the driver told them he was taking photos in an old lot near the freight cars, but that the driver also had paint on his hands and 20 to 25 cans of spray paint in the trunk of his car.
They also found a model freight car with a hand painted design on it, a drawing notebook, and masking tape, police say.
Police identified the driver as 21-year-old William Timothy Fischer. They say a passenger in the car was 20-year-old Lucas Adkins Lamm.
The railroad tells the TV station that one freight car car had $500 in damage and another car had $2,500 in damage.
Police charged Lamm and Fischer each with first-degree criminal damage to property, a felony. If convicted, they each face up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
Lamm and Fischer both made their first court appearances Sept. 10. Lamm’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 8, and Fischer’s is scheduled for Oct. 5.
The original story appeared on the station’s website.
I don't know if jail serves as any sort of deterrent. If anything they will be worse when they walk out. This has been proved by National Geographic when they interviewed a bunch of people that had been in jail or prison and every one that was interviewed said they came out way worse than when they went in. To Mr. Keay, the first poster, Google "Prison Industrial Complex". Get some coffee too. 12 cups of it. You'll. While I would never condone tagging freight cars, a fine moght not work either.
Does anybody remeber when New York city subway cars were covered with spray painted vandalism? The thing that stopped it was Robert Moses stationing workers and paint removal facilities at the end of each route: no car went back on the return leg until the vandalism had been removed. Deprived of an audience, the vandals gave up after about a year.
I don't like graffiti on trains or structures but I don't think putting people in jail is the answer. The US already puts more people in jail than any other country. The cost to the taxpayer is very high – the money would be better spent for other purposes. Give them a fine and let the rail car owners sue for the damages.
The cops should have had the men spray paint their car with the design they planned to put on the railroad's cars. Then they should have done the same to their homes. I'm tired of seeing 70% of the cars in every train that passes covered in graffiti. It's not art – it's vandalism.
How about a wire brush, solvent, a striped suite, and 100 car train to "clean" the "artwork" off of. Then we'll discuss the fine.
Although it is not worth the railroad's time v. money spent, couldn't a railroad sue the perps in civil court for the damages, including restitution and punative damages? None of these guys ever do jail time but have a judgement of $10,000+ for repainting…
Bravo Mark Halverson!!!! I for one look at the world objectively and have seen some great artwork. Hey a new reality show? Renegade Rail Reckers?
Good point Brian Hedrick but guys is it worth locking them up for 5 yrs? Maybe I'm a softee but that may harden them to the point of no return because God knows our prison system is not about rehabilitation
Awesome…. Hopefully this story gets a lot of national coverage.
Put these Guy in Jail and Cut off they hands too.
Maybe BNSF, CP, et al, could have the courts require them to paint the decrepit idler cars we have on each end of our unit oil trains, with approved designs/scenes. How come these jerks don't 'tag' OTR highway trailers? They'd get a close-up audience for their "art". Oh… I forgot. Truck drivers carry tire knocker clubs.
Model, sketches, tape…. This is not a first timer or innocent kid just rebelling. It doesn't have to be the maximum but don't just slap 'em on the wrist either.
These guys will be at again as they have no fear of trepassing, defacing property or getting caught. And why should they? Every graffiti covered train sends the message that the railroads encourage it. The boxcar fleet has been surrendeted by the railroads to the vandals. What car type will they target and capture next?
21 and 20 Year olds, should know better. If any RR will "throw the book" at them it is probably CP…. Should be a message and a warning sent out to the' tagging' community….
"Graffiti artists"? More like graffiti vandals.
To me, calling a graffiti punk an "artist" is akin to calling a dope dealer an "unlicensed recreational pharmacist". There are remedies to graffiti already used in some cities where these punks' "tags" are easily removed via pressure washing and a new coating is applied afterward. Maybe railroads and car leasing companies could either use that or have their shops paint it out every time those cars are serviced, punks like them usually give up and look elsewhere for targets as soon as word gets out that their handiwork will soon be erased.
Praise to the employees of CP for taking appropriate action.
The story and the potential consequences need to get national exposure on the web. It might deter some of these guys who really do think that freight cars are canvasses. When I was producing railroad video tapes, I was contacted by a dude in CA who published a paper designed for graffiti artists. He wanted me to place an ad in his paper. I did not do it, but learned something about that group of people.
As far as the consequence goes, the fine should be stiff, but applied with purpose in mind. If the guilty party can cover the fine, then he/she should have to serve an amount of time equivalent to how long it would take to earn that money at minimum wage. If they cannot cover the fine then they are put to work painting things like fire hydrants and other infrastructure at minimum wage with half going to pay the fine and the other half going to them to live on while they are on probation.
I hope they get the 5 years and the $10,000.00 fine. I absolutely hate graffiti. It sends a message to shippers that rail cars, and their freight, are not safe.
Well if it's there first offense and they learn a lesson as much as we all hate graffiti on cars I hope they don't do jail time. Rough way to start on life's journey. Heck give them an apprentice in a paint shop if they enjoy painting
Why waste the taxpayers money by giving them free room and board? A hefty fine should do the job at a lot less expense to the tax payers.
I hope they keep prosecuting these vandals, not artists at all. I miss the old days when a long graffiti clear train went by with all the railroad heralds proudly displayed.
A hand-painted model? So they planned their work, and here I thought graffiti was a spontaneous art. Nice nab!
Jail time hmmmmm that's extreme let them do what they do best and paint rail cars for free for Canadian pacific for free for a few years that can be a great benefit to both sides
God forbid the tedium of a 100 car train of black coal cars get broken. If the railroads were smart, they would have organized contests for these folks and maybe provide weatherproof industrial paint when old cars need a touch up. Og course, leave a space for reporting marks, etc. Our town did that with utility boxes on street corners and got some great art out of it. Nobody has missed the all industrial grey finish of the original paint.