Man arrested for using railroad frequencies

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TechTwo

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Found this on Trains Newswire.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A federal judge has ordered a man accused of making unauthorized transmissions on railroad radio frequencies to wear an ankle monitor and be confined to his home until his trial begins, according to The Gazette in Cedar Rapids.
 

mmckenna

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Apparently a serial jack-wagon:
"Criminal history checks showed Thompson had a prior arrest in Oklahoma for similar offenses involving a police radio, according to court documents."
 

Nasby

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Wow what a loser.

Dude seems to have some serious mental issues and could sure use help on his personal grooming habits.
 

Motoballa

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"A day later, an employee in a marked railroad vehicle parked near the tracks at E Avenue NW, told authorities Thompson approached him wearing a protective helmet and pointed an aluminum bat at him. Thompson told him, “Come and get it if you guys hate me so much. You know who I am, I’m the radio man.”"

This line specifically stood out to me.. This guy must be crazy lol.
 

K2KOH

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It's imbeciles like that who make it hard for real railroad monitors and photographers. I've been talked to by MTA police twice; friendly encounters and it's guys like this that make them do what they do
 

DJ11DLN

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I stumbled across this story awhile back somewhere. In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny, "What a maroon!":lol:
 

timkilbride

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He also called into a talk radio show and complained how his apartment was raided. He admitted on the talk radio show about using the railroad frequencies, but was doing so to prove the railroads are not a secure industry.

Tim
 

timkilbride

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I forgot to mention, one of my feeds has the dispatchers side of the audio. You would hear "Dispatcher answering emergency call Beverly 62 tower" all day long.

Tim
 

W8RMH

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He should be detained in a mental health facility until a proper psych eval can be completed. He shouldn't be running loose after threatening a RR employee with deadly force. Definitely a couple fries short of a happy meal.
 

iMONITOR

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He should be detained in a mental health facility until a proper psych eval can be completed. He shouldn't be running loose after threatening a RR employee with deadly force. Definitely a couple fries short of a happy meal.

How about let Smith & Wesson give him the treatment he needs!
 

paulmohr

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The article that is linked says he is being detained in the county jail, not out on bail with an ankle monitor. I was under the impression ankle monitors were issued After you were sentenced and is normally part of your sentence or probation.

My guess would be most of his legal problems are more related to the odd behavior and threats made and not just because he was transmitting illegally. If it were not for the threats I believe he probably would not be in jail. He would have been cited and then probably get a fine when he went to court. Do to the type of threats made this could probably be a federal issue if they wanted to go that route.

From the sounds of it he is a troubled man with mental health issues and needs some help. He should be getting already from the sounds of it, seems as if they already know who he is and that he has problems. Most likely won't happen though. He will probably get some time in jail, then released with more hatred than he already has.

For all we know he might have been really nice guy up until a certain age and then mental illness set in and he didn't get the proper treatment. And most likely doesn't have anyone to look after him to make sure he continues the treatment, which is often the case.

Mental illness is a serious issue in the United States, I know I suffer from it. Luckily I am not one of the many that fell through the cracks. I went to jail once for contempt of court and didn't get my meds for over two weeks. Then they treated me like it was my fault I was wigging out. If you take someone with depression and social anxiety and put them in jail with a bunch of people and then make them stop their meds cold turkey you should expect some odd behavior. And I wasn't the only one either, there were guys not getting seizure medication and stuff like that as well. The only thing they cared about was that I didn't kill myself while they were responsible for me.
 

mmckenna

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Thanks Paul.

Something we all need more understanding of, more patience, and more awareness. Some folks are quick to condemn others, and I know I've done it. It's easy to forget. My son is bi-polar, so my wife and I have had to learn a lot rather quickly. We've both taken courses through National Alliance for Mental Illness, and it was an eye opening experience. Experiencing what happens when he misses his medication is heartbreaking. Getting rid of the stigma would make the world a better place. Getting people proper treatment is key. Unfortunately our society likes to hide those with mental illnesses, or at least pretend like it's not there.

It's mighty brave of you to admit that and talk about it. Thank you for sharing.
 

iMONITOR

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I'm very aware of how serious mental illness can be. I watched my mother suffer from bipolar chemical imbalance from 1950-2005. But all too often, mental illness is used as an excuse for unacceptable behavior, all the way up to 1st degree murder! I know a person with bipolar is capable of murder. But that is not to say all murderers are bipolar.

One could say all terrorist are mentally ill. But we know most of them are smart, clear thinking, premeditated, and enjoy every minute!
 
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