Elk River Man Indicted For Allegedly Operating Train While Drunk

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) - An Elk River man has been indicted on charges that he operated a freight train while intoxicated, the U.S. Attorney's office announced Thursday.

The train was involved in a minor, low-speed collision Sept. 18 in Belgrade that left one person injured.

Warne Anthony Johnson, 28, is the second person to be indicted on charges relating to the crash.  The train's engineer, Wilford Travis Gamble of Somerset, Wis., was indicted on the same charges in February.  Both men face maximum penalties of 15 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.

Johnson and Gamble were working for Canadian Pacific Railroad and were carrying a load of potash from Glenwood to St. Paul when it crashed into an empty, stopped train near Belgrade.

The westbound train had three crew members inside.  The engineer suffered minor injuries, but the others jumped from the train before the collision.

Thu July 8, 2004 20:30 EDT