Two ISU students have pleaded guilty to shutting down a section of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Boone County by placing large metal bars on the railroad tracks.

Nathan Wayne Delzell, 23, 1112 S 3rd St., and Heath Bradley Delzell, 20, 2107 Barr Ave., were arrested Thursday and charged with trespassing, simple misdemeanor and railroad damage. Nathan Delzell is a senior in mechanical engineering, while his brother, Heath Delzell, is a sophomore in mechanical engineering.

According to police records, at 4:45 p.m. April 3, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from the Union Pacific Railroad concerning trespassers near the Des Moines River High Bridge in Boone County.

When deputies arrived, a railroad employee had made contact with two suspects leaving the area. Deputies and railroad personnel found large metal bars, about 400 to 500 feet apart, laced on the railroad tracks in at least four areas.

“They used blocks of steel, probably about four or five inches long, four inches wide and one and a half to two inches thick,” said Boone County Sheriff Ron Fehr.

Fehr said Thursday was the first day security guards did not watch over the area since Sept. 11. He said he did not believe Nathan Delzell or Heath Delzell knew this information.

Railroad employees informed law enforcement these objects could have derailed a train, causing considerable damage.

According to the police report, the incident caused the railroad to be closed for more than an hour, costing Union Pacific more than $10,000.

The brothers, originally from Indianola, posted a bail amount of $13,000 each, Thursday afternoon. Fehr said both, Nathan and Heath pleaded guilty on Friday to all counts. No trial date as been set for the two men.

— Jolene Hull