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Two charged in Pierce County Christmas Day substation attacks

Federal prosecutors have charged two men in the Christmas Day substation attacks in Pierce County that caused power outages and allegedly $3 million in damage.

Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, both of Puyallup, face federal charges of conspiracy to damage energy facilities. Greenwood faces an additional charge of possession of an unregistered firearm. Prosecutors say the men attacked two Tacoma Power and two Puget Sound Energy substations, according to a statement by U.S. Attorney Nick Brown, who commended the FBI for quickly identifying the suspects.

A criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday said the two men were identified as possible suspects through the analysis of cellphone records. Also, Tacoma Power at one of the substations captured images of one suspect and an image of a pickup truck that appeared to be connected to the attack. A similar pickup truck was connected to the defendants, and when law enforcement served a search warrant on the home of the suspects, they recovered “distinctive clothing” pictured in surveillance photos, according to the statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Two surveillance photos included in the complaint show a white man with a cloth covering part of his face and torso, holding something in his gloved right hand.

The complaint said that the attacks caused about $3 million in damage, and Tacoma Power will need to use two mobile transformer units at each of its substations to provide power. Repairs could take up to 36 months to complete.

FBI Special Agent Mark Tucher, who investigated the attacks, is assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI’s Seattle Division, primarily investigating domestic terrorism.

The two Tacoma Power substations and one of the PSE substations were attacked in the early morning Christmas Day, before daylight. The last attack happened about 7:25 p.m. and resulted in a power outage and fire. Initial reports indicated the suspects cut a chain-link fence to gain entry, then tampered with a switch as they tried to pry open equipment. This caused the substation to start arcing and sparking, according to the complaint.

On Dec. 31, when federal agents and local law enforcement executed warrants, they found Greenwood in a fifth-wheel trailer, and located a short-barreled rifle with what appeared to be a homemade silencer, and a short-barreled shotgun.

Greenwood, in a statement to law enforcement after his arrest and being read Miranda rights, stated that he and Crahan had been planning to disrupt power to commit a burglary, according to the complaint. Greenwood said he entered all four substations using bolt cutters, while Crahan acted as a getaway driver, according to the complaint.

After the morning attacks, the two men went to a local business, drilled out a lock and stole from a cash register, according to Greenwood’s statement cited in the complaint.

Crahan has a history of criminal convictions, according to prison and court records.

In 2016, he pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property after he admitted helping to burglarize a Gig Harbor home, Pierce County court records show. In 2014, he pleaded guilty to five counts of identity theft after admitting to possessing bank cards and other financial information of five people. Crahan served a total of 54 months in prison, according to Tobby Hatley, a spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections. In a 2014 DOC intake form, Crahan wrote that he had a severe alcohol and methamphetamine problem.

Crahan also had several previous convictions in Pierce County for theft and attempting to elude, as well as a 2007 DUI conviction in Alaska, according to a criminal history filed as part of sentencing in his 2016 case.

The state Department of Corrections, in an email to The Seattle Times, said it had no records pertaining to Greenwood.

Both men are scheduled to appear Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

Conspiracy to attack energy facilities is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors will ask that both men remain detained pending future hearings.