2 arrested for stealing train tracks in Old Saybrook, Conn. [Video]

OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. — Two people were arrested for dismantling train tracks from the Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park in Old Saybrook and selling the metal pieces to scrap yards.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) Environmental Conservation Police (EnCon) were called to the state park on Feb. 26 after the Valley Railroad Company said two people were seen dismantling and removing parts of the railroad track behind the Tractor Supply Co. store.

These train tracks are used by the Valley Railroad Company, which operates Essex Steam Train and Riverboat. They lease the tracks from DEEP, which owns the tracks.

An investigation determined that the two people dismantled about four-tenths of a mile’s worth of track, which was then sold as scrap to scrap yards, EnCon said.

EnCon identified the suspects as Nicole Hooghkirk, 38, and Jason Hubbard, 47, both of …