2 Men Arrested in Washington State Power Substation Attacks

Two men were arrested on suspicion of attacking four power substations in Washington State on Christmas Day. They were part of a plot to turn off electricity and steal from a local business.

Matthew Greenwood (32), and Jeremy Crahan (40) were both charged Tuesday with conspiring to damage energy facilities. Greenwood was also accused of possessing unregistered guns.

“I commend the work by the FBI to quickly identify these suspects and disrupt any future attacks on the east Pierce County power grid,” U.S. attorney Nick Brown stated in a press release The Department of Justice.

“We have seen attacks such as these increase in Western Washington and throughout the country and must treat each incident seriously. In addition, the outages on Christmas left thousands in the dark and cold and put some who need power for medical devices at extreme risk,” He added.

Two men were named as potential suspects in a criminal complaint. They were identified through cell phone records. One of the suspects was also photographed at Tacoma as part of the attack. A pick-up truck is likely to have been involved.

A warrant was issued. Clothing was found at the homes of two men who matched the surveillance photographs. Two unregistered firearms were also seized from Greenwood’s home, including one equipped with a “make-shift” silencer.

They are being investigated for attacks on four substations. Damages of at least $3 million have been estimated.

The DOJ stated that conspiracy to attack energy facilities can result in up to 20 years imprisonment. Possession of unregistered firearms can lead to a maximum of 10 years in prison.

As The Daily Wire has previously reported reportedMore than 15,000 homes were without power after vandalism destroyed four substations across Washington.

At 2:30 a.m. Pacific Time, the attacks started on Christmas morning. Three incidents occurred during the morning hours; a fourth incident was reported on Christmas night.

The report said that two locks at the substations had been opened to allow entry. In the third incident, the fence was broken into. It was not clear how the fourth incident could have been accessed.

These attacks are just a few of many incidents against power stations that have been happening across the country in recent months. Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Puget Sound Energy and the Cowlitz County Public Utility District confirmed they had substations. attacked The Seattle Times published November’s issue reported.

In early December, a substation attack took down power for more than  40,000 homes and businesses in Moore County, North Carolina.

The incidents have come as the Department of Homeland Security has warned of threats to the nation’s electrical infrastructure in recent years. DHS “National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin” Published November warned that people with personal grievances “continue to pose a persistent and lethal threat to the Homeland.”

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