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Teen To Be Tried As Adult For Bennet Train Derailment

By Tom Stanton Aug 20, 2024 | 12:03 PM

A 17-year-old accused of causing a train derailment in Bennet in April will be tried as an adult.   A judge approved the state’s motion to charge 17-year-old Zachary Hertzler in county court.  Hertzler is currently charged with two counts of criminal mischief.

Two BNSF locomotives and five loaded cars came off the tracks, but stayed upright after colliding with an empty rail car.  An investigation revealed the switch to the track was misaligned and surveillance video showed a car and a driver fitting Hertzler’s description near the scene before the derailment.

Hertzler was filming the derailment for his YouTube page.  It has since been deleted.