Rogers County deputy arrests man for metal theft

ROGERS COUNTY, Okla. - A man was arrested early Wednesday morning in Rogers County for stealing a load of metal from a train derailment cleanup site.

Around 3 a.m., Rogers County Deputy Mike Clark was patrolling State Highway 88 and Old Highway 412 in Inola when he spotted a suspicious vehicle hauling more than a ton of cut up metal plates.

Believing the metal may have been from a recent train derailment cleanup site, Clark stopped the vehicle driven by 55-year-old Robert Lem Lowther, of Inola.

Lowther told Clark he had permission to remove the metal from the cleanup site.

After contacting Union Pacific, Clark determined Lowther stole the metal scraps.

Lowther was arrested and transported to the Rogers County Jail.