FBI responds to gunfire at another North Carolina substation month after Moore County power grid attacks
FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force probing Randolph County, NC, substation gunfire
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The FBI responded to an incident of gunfire at another North Carolina substation early Tuesday, nearly two months after what authorities deemed criminal vandalism to the electric grid in Moore County, N.C., caused widespread outages for more than 45,000 customers during cold temperatures this winter.
The gunfire early Tuesday at a substation in Randolph County, N.C., did not cause outages.
EnergyUnited said power company officials responded to an alarm that notified personnel of an equipment issue at its Pleasant Hill Substation Tuesday morning. Crews were dispatched to assess the situation and discovered "damage to the substation transformer from an apparent gunshot."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The damage was quickly assessed and contained to mitigate the impact to members in the Pleasant Hill area and law enforcement officials were notified," the company said. "EnergyUnited members who are served by this substation did not experience an outage as a result of the cooperative’s swift response."
WASHINGTON SUBSTATION ATTACKS' ALLEGED MOTIVE REVEALED
A view of a substation while work is in progress as tens of thousands are without power in Moore County after gunfire sabotaged the electric grid on Dec. 5. (Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a vandalism call at a power substation on Post Road in Thomasville on Tuesday where a representative of EnergyUnited told them the company received an alarm at the substation and upon inspection, found and reported the damage.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Criminal Investigations and Crime Scene Investigators responded to the scene to investigate and collect evidence at the site," the sheriff’s office said in a press release Tuesday. "The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) were also notified. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force responded to conduct a parallel investigation."
Investigators recovered evidence from the scene and canvassed the surrounding areas gathering additional information, the sheriff’s office said. Based on information gathered, investigators believe the incident occurred around 3:00 a.m. The investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, no suspects have been apprehended in the Dec. 3, 2022, attacks on two substations in Moore County, North Carolina, that left some 45,000 customers without power. Fox News Digital reached out to FBI Charlotte Wednesday asking if the Randolph County incident is believed to be related.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}North Carolina crews work while tens of thousands remained without power in Moore County after an attack at two Duke Energy substations on Dec. 5. (Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Authorities said someone or a group drove up to two substations operated by Duke Energy and opened fire, causing extensive damage. The incident is being investigated as a "criminal occurrence." In that case, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office asked for court approval for several search warrants, and the FBI was also looking into cellphone records. The motive is unclear.
The Department of Homeland Security warned last month that the U.S power grid is vulnerable to domestic terrorism, noting online calls to sabotage critical infrastructure.
"EnergyUnited continually strives to deliver safe, reliable energy to its members," Vice President of Energy Delivery, Steve McCachern, said in a statement Tuesday. "While we are glad that our members did not experience any service interruption, we take this matter very seriously and are currently investigating this incident."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tacoma Power provided the FBI with surveillance footage showing a suspect seen at the Elk Plain substation during a Christmas Day attack in Washington state. (Department of Justice )
EnergyUnited reports that the area of service from the effected substation includes Trinity, Thomasville and areas of Davidson County south of Thomasville. "The Randolph County Board of Commissioners, County Manager’s Office and Davidson County Sheriff’s Office were therefore contacted for emergency planning in the event of an outage in that area," the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone with information regarding Tuesday’s incident is asked to call Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations at 336-318-6658 or Randolph County Crime Stoppers tip line at 336-672-7463.
Tacoma Power provided the FBI with video footage of a vehicle that arrived at the Elk Plain substation at the time of the attack on Dec. 26, 2022. (Department of Justice)
The power company cited a "collaborative effort" with electric co-ops, industry partners, peer organizations and federal state and local law enforcement to share information "that improves member service and strengthens critical systems." EnergyUnited also encouraged community members to share information "whenever suspicious activity is observed near any of its substations or facilities."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Recent substation sabotage attempts have been reported in South Carolina, Oregon and Washington state.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department charged two Washington men in connection to four substation attacks on Christmas Day that cut power for thousands of customers. One of the defendants claimed the motive was to cut power so that the pair could commit a robbery at an unnamed local business, prosecutors said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The damage to two of those substations alone exceeded $3 million.