Butler police Thursday arrested two men for allegedly stealing more than a half a ton of scrap railroad metal.

Jeffrey D. McMillen, 23, of Clearfield Township, and Simon J. Miller, 28, of Middlesex Township are in Butler County Prison on $5,000 bail each on felony and other charges.

An alert patrol officer about 10:30 a.m. stopped the suspects’ 2001 Toyota Corolla on South Monroe Street near East Cunningham Street after something didn’t seem quite right with it.

Specifically, according to court documents, the “severe sag” in the car’s back end caught Patrolman Douglas Mazzanti’s eye. He ran the license plate and found that the driver, Miller, was wanted on a warrant.

Following the traffic stop and while speaking to the passenger, McMillen, the officer saw what appeared to be several greasy and rusty metal railroad bracket plates.

McMillen’s hands looked greasy, too, Mazzanti said in charging documents. A search of McMillen turned up 10 stamp bags of suspected heroin.

Police impounded the car and later searched it, finding the trunk stuffed with more greasy and rusty metal railroad bracket plates, owned by Canadian National Railway.

While looking through the vehicle, police also found two receipts, dated Wednesday, indicating the sale of scrap metal weighing 1,400 pounds at a Butter County scrap business.

Additionally, police seized a walkie-talkie that the suspects allegedly used in the crime, and drug contraband that included a syringe and spoon with suspicious residue.

District Judge Sue Haggerty arraigned both defendants on felony charges of theft, conspiracy to commit theft and receiving stolen property, and misdemeanor charges of possession of an instrument of crime and drug paraphernalia.

McMillen also is charged with misdemeanor drug possession.