Calif. man uses blow torch in bid to steal railroad tracks

(CBS SACRAMENTO) MODESTO, Calif. - Never mind being on the wrong side of the tracks. Authorities say they arrested a man who was using a blow torch right on top of some railroad tracks in Modesto, in an apparent attempt to steal the metal sections.

On Wednesday, a Stanislaus County sheriff's deputy caught the man on an inactive stretch of the Union Pacific Railroad quite literally burning up the tracks, according to CBS Sacramento.

Deputy Barry Balance said he witnessed Jordan Guertin of Merced kneeling with a blow torch cutting the tracks, according to the sheriff's office. Officials said there were eight fresh cuts in 3-foot sections.

Union Pacific Railroad police arrested the 40-year-old Guertin for grand theft, tampering with railroad property and for an outstanding warrant out of Merced County.

Metal thefts have been on the rise during the economic downturn, but the target is usually copper wiring at schools, businesses and vacant buildings.