Rowan County Men Plead Guilty to Train Robbery

GREENSBORO, NC—Three Rowan County men have entered guilty pleas related to a Salisbury train robbery that occurred in 2012, announced United States Attorney Ripley Rand.

Altise Shaheed Bridges, 25, of China Grove, North Carolina, and William James Johnson, Jr., 20, of Salisbury, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to train robbery on December 11, 2013. Kenyad Laquan Kelly, 19, of Salisbury, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to train robbery on December 3, 2013.

According to court documents, two masked men carrying firearms climbed aboard a Norfolk Southern train traveling from Columbia, South Carolina, to Asheville, North Carolina, on April 29, 2012, while the train was stopped at the station in Salisbury for a crew change. When the robbers entered the engine car, one of the robbers brandished a shotgun while another brandished a revolver. The robbers demanded money from the train engineer and conductor and took cash and a wallet before fleeing. Subsequent investigation determined that Bridges and Johnson committed the robbery and that Kelly assisted in destroying and hiding evidence.

The guilty pleas were accepted by United States District Judge Catherine C. Eagles. The maximum punishment for Bridges and Johnson is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. The maximum punishment for Kelly is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $125,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Sentencing for both Bridges and Johnson is set for March 25, 2014, while Kelly’s sentencing is scheduled for March 19, 2014.

The case was investigated by the Salisbury Police Department, the Norfolk Southern Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terry Meinecke.