Two Men Arrested For Sabotaging Four Electrical Power Substations in Washington State January 04, 2023 3 Comments Facebook

The FBI arrested two men for sabotaging four electrical power substations in Washington State late last month.

The two men, Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, were caught on surveillance video at the Tacoma facilities.

Thousands lost power after the two suspects set fire to the Puget Sound Energy substation on Christmas Sunday.

“At 7:21 pm, on December 25th, 2022, dispatchers received a call of a fire at the Puget Sound Energy substation at 14320 Kapowsin Hwy E. Deputies, Firefighters and Puget Sound Energy employees responded to the scene. The fire was extinguished and the substation secured. Power was knocked out for homes in Kapowsin and Graham. The suspect(s) gained access to the fenced area and vandalized the equipment which caused the fire. There are no suspects in custody at this time.” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said. 

“This is the 4th incident at a Power Substation in South Pierce County on Christmas Day. All law enforcement agencies in the county have been notified of the incidents and will be monitoring power substations in their area.” the Sheriff’s Department added.

Greenwood and Crahan were arrested on December 31 and charged with conspiracy to damage energy facilities.

Greenwood also faces one count of possession of an unregistered firearm, ABC reported.

ABC News reported:

Two men have been arrested and charged for allegedly sabotaging four electrical power substations in Washington state, leaving thousands without power on Christmas, according to newly unsealed court documents.

Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, both of Puyallup, Washington, were arrested on Dec. 31 in connection with the attacks, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. They both have been charged with conspiracy to damage energy facilities, while Greenwood also faces a count of possession of unregistered firearms, according to the criminal complaint.

Surveillance footage from one of the attacked substations allegedly captured Crahan’s vehicle — a 1999 Dodge pickup truck — and one of the suspects at the scene at the time of the attack, according to the complaint.

FBI investigators were able to identify two phones in the vicinity of each of the four substations during the attacks, which led them to Greenwood and Crahan, according to the complaint.

FBI then put both under “essentially continuous surveillance” in the days leading up to their arrest, the complaint stated. Greenwood was detained while wearing clothing that matched in part what was seen on the suspect in the surveillance footage, and two unregistered short-barreled firearms — including one equipped with a make-shift silencer — were found during a search of his trailer, according to the complaint.