2 Men Charged For Allegedly Vandalizing 4 Substations In Western Washington
By Zuri Anderson
January 3, 2023
Two men are facing charges in the attack on four power substations in Western Washington, leaving thousands of people without power on Christmas, KIRO 7 reports.
Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, were arrested Saturday (December 31) and charged with conspiracy to damage energy facilities and possession of an unregistered firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington.
The vandalized power substations include Graham and Elk Plain stations operated by Tacoma Power, as well as the Kapowsin and Hemlock substations operated by Puget Sound Energy. Over 14,000 customers woke up to darkness Christmas morning since the attacks happened overnight, per Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Darren Moss, Jr. The Tacoma substations alone suffered $3 million worth of damage, prosecutors said.
The FBI identified the suspects using cellphone records and surveillance video, per criminal complaints unsealed on Tuesday (January 3). Cameras at one substation recorded a pickup truck believed to be connected to the suspects.
Agents executed a search warrant at the men's home and found distinctive clothing similar to what was in surveillance photos. They also seized two unregistered short-barreled guns from the home, one of which had a makeshift silencer, per the Justice Department.
“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 said in the statement. “We have seen attacks such as these increase in Western Washington and throughout the country and must treat each incident seriously. The outages on Christmas left thousands in the dark and cold and put some who need power for medical devices at extreme risk.”
Both suspects are due to appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Tuesday. Prosecutors will ask Greenwood and Crahan remain detained at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac pending future hearings.
Conspiracy to attack energy facilities is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Possession of an unregistered firearm is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.