Two Washington Men Charged In Four Substation Attacks on Christmas That Cut Power

CNN reports:Two men were arrested on New Year's Eve for allegedly shutting down four Washington state power substations in late December that led to power outages for thousands across Pierce County. Matthew Greenwood and Jeremy Crahan have been charged with conspiracy to damage energy facilities and Greenwood faces a separate charge of possessing illegal short-barreled rifles.... The two cut off power to thousands of locals and caused at least $3 million worth of damage, according to charging documents. Investigators identified Greenwood and Crahan almost immediately after the attacks took place by using cell phone data that allegedly showed both men in the vicinity of all four substations, according to court documents. Surveillance images cited in the court documents also showed images of one of the men and of the getaway car.... The two face up to 20 years behind bars if convicted of conspiring to attack energy facilities. In addition, possession of an unregistered firearm is punishable by up to ten years in prison, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. But identifying the suspects was apparently pretty simple. "When law enforcement served a search warrant on the home of the suspects, they recovered distinctive clothing pictured in the surveillance photos." Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader schwit1 for sharing the story.

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