Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

Local news is reporting an FBI alert to all west coast law enforcement agencies about a man in a truck who has gone to high-tension power lines between Oregon and California. This man reportedly loosened bolts, all which have now been repaired.

It is believed sabatage is the intent.

News bulletin to follow. i am looking for news links.

Link found:

KGW (http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_102303_news_power_sabotage.2fc0998e.html)

They require viwers to register before seeing the story, so I posted it below:

FBI probing possible west coast power sabotage
01:25 PM PDT on Thursday, October 23, 2003

By JIM PARKER, kgw.com Staff

The FBI has notified police agencies across the Western U.S. to be on the lookout for a man in a pickup truck seen tampering with high-voltage electrical transmission towers at several locations in Oregon and California, officials said.

Bolts were loosened or removed earlier this week from transmission towers in at least four locations: Madras, McNary, and Klamath Falls in Oregon and Anderson County in northern California.

The bolts have since been replaced at those towers and no significant damage has yet occured, said Portland FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele.

Utility industry officials said while tampering with high-voltage towers can be very dangerous, toppling a tower would not likely cause any widespread power outages or transmission problems.

The FBI's Steele said authorities had only a vague description of the suspect in these incidents: An older, white man in his 60s, driving a pickup truck.

But the Sacramento Bee newspaper reported that California police officials have identified the suspect as Michael Poulin of Spokane, Wash. and said that he was traveling in a silver Toyota pickup truck with Washington state license plates A36457P. The L.A. Times also reported Poulon has a prior arrest record for attempted murder and arson.

Steele would not comment on the published reports but said the FBI field office in Sacramento, Calif. was leading an active investigation into the potential acts of sabotage.

The Washington state Department of Licensing confirmed that Poulin does own a truck with the plates named in the newspaper report. The truck has a "felony vehicle warning" which could indicate it was reported stolen or that it is wanted by law enforcement, licensing officials said.

Poulin's ex-wife in Spokane, Marianne Torres, said she hasn't seen him since mid-October and didn't know where he was. The couple divorced in September.

The person responsible for the tower tampering could be charged with destruction of an energy facility, which is a federal offense carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison upon conviction, authorities said.

"It's my opinion this is a domestic terrorism act by the very nature of what this individual was trying to do," said Anderson, Calif. Police Chief Neil Purcell. "If all four legs were unhooked from their base and we had any sizable velocity wind, that tower would go over."

Update: Man arrested for power grid tampering

Man arrested in tower tampering case appears in court

By ANNA OBERTHUR
The Associated Press
11/3/2003, 4:30 p.m. PT


SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Spokane, Wash., man accused of removing bolts from electricity transmission towers made his initial appearance Monday in federal court.

Michael Devlyn Poulin, 62, was sought by FBI agents up and down the West Coast until his arrest Sunday.

U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd appointed a federal public defender for Poulin, who is facing charges of damaging an energy facility and injuring government property. He was ordered to remain in the Sacramento County jail.

The longtime peace activist was taken into custody at a California Highway Patrol office in south Sacramento after an officer recognized him from his wanted poster.

A federal warrant was issued for Poulin's arrest last month after he reportedly was seen loosening and removing bolts from the legs of a high powered transmission tower near Anderson, Calif., on Oct. 20.

Bolts were also loosened or removed from the legs of other transmission towers in the West: near Madras, McNary, Klamath Falls and The Dalles in Oregon; near Benton City, Wash.; and in Sacramento.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Lapham said his office is investigating whether Poulin was involved in those incidents.

A preliminary hearing was set for Nov. 18, but an indictment will most likely be issued before then, Lapham said.

Before his arrest, Poulin told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday that he was tired of being chased.

"I'm sort of getting a stiff neck from looking over my shoulder," he said. He said he had been trying, through his attorney, to arrange a surrender, but wanted more details about the legal circumstances that awaited him.

Poulin was seeking directions to the FBI's Sacramento bureau when he wandered into the highway patrol's office at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Ty Gentry, an officer heading into work, arrested Poulin after he recognized the man from his wanted poster.

Poulin's attorney, Dan Koenig in Eugene, Ore., said Monday he was not sure if he would join public defender Mark Reichel in defending Poulin.

During his AP interview, Poulin admitted no guilt, but said his actions were necessary to highlight vulnerabilities in the power system.

Poulin has a criminal history. In the early 1970s he was sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder, but only served eight years, according to FBI agent Norm Brown in Spokane, Wash.

Conviction on the charge of damaging an energy facility carries a 20-year maximum sentence, and a conviction of destruction of government property carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence. Both are also punishable by up to $250,000 in fines.