The Nation - News from Feb. 17, 1988
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A Conrail engineer who ran a stop signal and crashed into an Amtrak passenger train, killing 16 people, pleaded guilty in Towson, Md., to one count of manslaughter and faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail. Ricky L. Gates, 33, who was scheduled to begin a trial on 16 counts of manslaughter by locomotive, was operating three Conrail engines on Jan. 4, 1987, when they skidded in front of the Amtrak train. Attorneys agreed to include in the single misdemeanor count the names of all 16 fatalities. Sentencing was set for March 29.
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