Coos Bay police arrested two men Monday after someone reported they were ripping up the railroad in town and then redeeming the metal at a Coos Bay salvage yard.

According to a Coos Bay Police Department press release, at approximately 11:02 a.m., officers received a report of men taking Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad property from behind a building at the end of Hall Avenue. Officers stopped a Toyota 4Runner on the east side of Coal Bank Slough and searched the vehicle. They found a couple hundred pounds of metal railroad materials, including ties, plates and bolts.

Officers arrested Jonathon Handy, 21, of Coos Bay; and Nathaniel Jarrett, 19, of Lakeside, on charges of first-degree criminal trespassing and second-degree theft. Police took them to Coos County jail, where they were booked and later released on their own recognizance.

The investigation is ongoing, said police spokeswoman Helen Thompson. So far, police have learned the suspects had redeemed about 2 tons of metal at Shinglehouse Auto & Salvage, Thompson said.

A Shinglehouse employee said steel is redeemable at their business at $200 a ton.

General Manager Veronica Shinglehouse would not confirm if Handy and Jarrett redeemed metal at her business, though she said they keep an eye out for stolen property.

“Off and on we have people who bring us stolen goods. We’ve weeded out most of them, because we do work with the police departments, and we keep pretty good records of everything, so when it does happen they get caught pretty easy,” Shinglehouse said.

People who turn in scrap metal have to provide personal and vehicle information before receiving money, she added.

This is not the only incident involving people attempting to pull up the CORP rail line.

According to a Coos County Sheriff’s Office press release, three different Coos Bay men attempted to salvage railroad rails near the intersection of Delmar Road and state Highway 42 in the Greenacres area. A deputy found the men, who said they thought it was OK to take the materials because the railroad company planned to abandon the line. The men hadn’t started to tear up the lines, so they just received a warning.