Texas man’s ‘bomb’ – a battery taped to a box – could send him to prison, feds say

A Dallas man accused of putting a fake bomb on railroad tracks could go to prison for years, authorities say.

Mark Ashley Robert, 37, pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of false information in the 2018 incident that prompted a response from the Dallas Police Department bomb squad, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

A train conductor spotted the mysterious device flashing red and green lights on a set of the tracks in December 2018, prosecutors say. When he went to take a closer look, the conductor saw a box taped to a nine-volt battery and called the police.

The bomb squad rendered the device safe and sent parts to the FBI to check for fingerprints, which returned a match for Robert, prosecutors say.

Now Robert could go to prison for up to five years and pay a fine up to $250,000. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in March.