Two men have been arrested in connection with the series of Christmas day attacks on power substations in Washington state, which cost millions in damages and left thousands without power for the holidays, U.S. prosecutors announced on Tuesday.
Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, were arrested Saturday night on charges of conspiracy to damage energy facilities. They were initially linked to the substation attacks through cellphone records, according to the criminal complaint.
In wake of his arrest, Greenwood told investigators he and Crahan planned the vandalism attacks in Pierce County so they could burglarize an unidentified business and steal the cash from the register.
Greenwood is also facing an additional count of possession of a short-barreled rifle and a short-barreled shotgun.
The four vandalized substations include the Graham and Elk Plain substations operated by Tacoma Power and the Kapowsin and Hemlock substations operated by Puget Sound Energy. Authorities said the pair of suspects manipulated the high side breaks causing the outages but did not steal or cut any wire.
The attacks, which occurred throughout the day on December 25, knocked out electricity for 14,000 people, with most getting their power restored the following day. It prompted a call for increased security for the U.S. power grid.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the damage to the Tacoma Power substations alone was estimated to be at least $3 million.
With News Wire Services
