Man charged in East Elm railroad bridge collision

July 28--A Texas man has been charged with a felony crime in Garfield County District Court, as authorities claim he was driving a truck that struck and damaged a railroad bridge on East Elm in May.

The damage from the collision knocked the bridge out of alignment and left the bridge unusable until it could be replaced. The common route for motorists was closed for several weeks.

Michael Ronald Roehrs, 56, of Argyle, was charged Monday with a single count of maliciously destroying railroad or railroad equipment. The crime is punishable by six months to four years imprisonment.

A warrant also was issued for Roehrs' arrest Monday, online court records show. Bond on the warrant has been set at $2,500.

According to an affidavit filed in the case, Roehrs was identified by Union Pacific Railroad Police as the driver of a 2004 Peterbuilt boom-crane truck that struck the railroad bridge sometime between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. May 20, 2015, in the 300 block of East Elm.

Investigators were able to identify Roehrs after he took the boom-crane truck for repairs, according to the affidavit. Railroad police located the vehicle in Fort Worth, Texas.

Railroad investigators also spoke with Roehrs' insurance agent. She told investigators Roehrs said he struck a railroad bridge in Enid and said there was no damage to the bridge.

Union Pacific Railroad Police Special Agent Scott Bybee, who spoke with Roehrs via phone, said Roehrs told him he "did not see the bridge and that the bridge blended in with the surrounding" landscape, according to the affidavit.

Union Pacific Railroad Police Lt. Alan Henry also spoke with Roehrs over the phone.

Henry said Roehrs refused to meet with him in person but would answer questions over the phone, according to the affidavit. Henry reported Roehrs confirmed he was the driver of the Peterbuilt when it struck the bridge. Roehrs told Henry he didn't see any damage to the bridge so he did not notify anyone at the time of the accident.

Roehrs then told Henry that he could see damage to the bridge, but it appeared the damage had been done by other vehicles that hit bridge and not him, according to the affidavit. Roehrs also told Henry he was distracted when he hit the bridge because he was using his GPS at the time.

Roehrs reported Henry said he did not see any advanced warning sign displaying the height of the bridge until he backed into a vacant lot after the accident occurred, according to the affidavit. Roehrs said he believed poor visibility, bad placement of advanced warning signs, the time of day and the color of the bridge were contributing factors to the accident.

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