POTEAU, Okla. (KFSM) — Police have identified a man who was hit and killed by a train earlier this month in Poteau, Oklahoma.
Police say the body found on the train tracks is that of 36-year-old James R. Roe II of Ottawa, Illinois.
At this time, investigators aren’t sure why Roe was on the tracks.
Roe was walking near the railroad tracks in the Coggins Road area in Poteau where he was hit and killed by a train Wednesday (Oct. 9) morning.
In a press release, police said a Kansas City Southern train was going southbound and struck Roe who was curled up laying on the tracks between the rails.
In September, Roe escaped from a patrol car during an arrest in Barling. He was placed in handcuffs and put into the patrol car, but he escaped.
According to Barling Sgt. Keith Lindley, Roe was staying at Springhill Park in Barling near the river when he was arrested on charges of public intoxication about 11:30 p.m.
Roe also had felony warrants out of Illinois and Kansas, Lindley said.
Lindley said he wasn’t sure of the exact circumstances of the escape.
At the time, Lindley said Roe may have been under the influence of methamphetamine and is considered a danger to police and to the public.
