(The Center Square) – A man has pled guilty in federal court to conspiring to knock out power in western Washington on Christmas Day last year to rob ATM machines.
According to a Wednesday news release by the U.S. Attorney General’s Western Division of Washington, Jeremy Crahan, 40, pled guilty with planning an attacks on four power substation in Pierce County located in Puyallup, Spanaway and Graham. The attacks caused $3 million in damage and cut electricity for more than 14,000 people. They then later planned to cause more power outages by knocking down trees, but were arrested before that occurred. The other man involved in the attacks was 32-year-old Matthew Greenwood.
The men were charged in January with conspiracy to damage energy facilities and possession of an unregistered firearm after they were arrested by law enforcement. The men had been identified as suspects through cell phone record analysis, as well as captured images at one of the substations. During their arrest, law enforcement found two unregistered short-barreled firearms.
The substations were owned by Tacoma Public Utilities and Puget Sound Energy.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 8.
