In connection with the attacks on four power substations in Pierce County that left thousands in the dark on Christmas, two Puyallup men have been prosecuted.
According to Nick Brown, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, are accused of conspiring to harm energy facilities and having an unregistered handgun.
The men were detained on Saturday as a result of an FBI investigation.
The Graham and Elk Plain substations, run by Tacoma Power, and the Kapowsin and Hemlock substations, run by Puget Sound Energy, were among the four damaged substations.
More than 14,000 consumers lost power. According to Sgt. Darren Moss, Jr., a Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesman, all of the attacks took place in the middle of the night.
2 men in Washington state were arrested for sabotaging 4 substations and causing power outages for thousands of people.
Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, caused at least $3 million in damage. Cell phone data showed both men in the vicinity of all 4 substations. pic.twitter.com/tphIwbqqkh
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) January 4, 2023
“Everyone might assume Graham, Pierce County would be the last place something like this would happen after watching this happen in other jurisdictions, but it did,” said Sgt. Moss.
In an attempt to cover up a theft at a nearby business, where Crahan drilled out a lock, and Greenwood stole from a cash register, the attacks on the substations, according to court documents, were made.
Sgt. Moss stated, “It’s sort of alarming that individuals would cut out the power to thousands to loot a store.
Tacoma Power substations are expected to sustain damage worth at least $3 million. One broken transformer might need to be repaired for up to 36 months.
According to U.S. Attorney Nick Brown, “you can’t place a price value on some of the devastations on the people who had their power go out.” “It is quite serious that people were waking up to frozen houses and feeling cold at that time without electricity or heat in their homes.”
The men were recognized as potential suspects using security footage and cellphone information.
Tacoma Power captured photographs of a man and a pickup truck that appeared to be connected to the attack at one substation. According to the Justice Department, a truck resembling this one was discovered to be associated with the accused.
Additionally, a check of the men’s residence revealed some of the characteristic attire visible in the CCTV photographs.
Agents also took two unregistered short-barreled weapons. One of the firearms had a temporary suppressor attached to it.
Prosecutors will ask that the suspects be held at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac until further proceedings when both men appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Tuesday.
The maximum sentence for planning an attack on an energy facility is 20 years. Possession of an unregistered firearm carries a maximum ten-year prison sentence.
Read More:
