Man charged with stealing posts from Illinois agency

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Illinois State Police say an East St. Louis man used a safety vest and hardhat bearing a construction firm's name in a ruse to steal galvanized steel posts from the state Transportation Department.

Soloman Craighead is being held in the Madison County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bond on a felony theft charge.

Authorities say the 61-year-old Craighead took 400 posts between Jan. 4 and Sunday from a construction zone on Interstate 270 near Granite City.

State Police Master Sgt. Mark Doiron says it is believed Craighead sold the posts, used to secure guard rails, to a scrapyard.

Craighead was arrested Sunday as he and a woman was loading posts into a pickup truck. Police say the woman was released for lack of evidence to charge her with a crime.