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| Sabotage On The Grid |
| 2003-10-31 |
| Missing bolts from a high-voltage electricity tower in Sacramento had been removed, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday. The incident comes after a handful of similar events in Northern California and Oregon since Oct. 20, when witnesses chased a man from the base of a tower in Redding. The prior incidents have caught the attention of the Department of Homeland Security, which last week issued a bulletin to power industry and government officials warning of the bolt removals. FBI spokeswoman Karen Ernst said the FBI received a call Monday and after investigating, discovered that bolts had been removed from a transmission tower in Sacramento. Ernst wouldn’t say if the Sacramento incident or any of the others were related, but said the FBI was aware of the incident and was investigating it. "We’re not releasing anything saying they’re all connected," said Ernst. "Our main concern is locating the individual we have the arrest warrant for." A federal arrest warrant was issued last Thursday for Michael Devlyn Poulin, 62. It charges him with destroying an energy facility, which carries up to a 20-year prison sentence. Poulin has only been charged with the Redding incident, but he is also "wanted for questioning" in connection with the Oregon cases, Portland FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele said last week. JunkYardBlog reported on Poulin: [A]ccording to California officials, Poulin was convicted in San Mateo in 1971-- during the height of the anti-war protests -- for "explosion of a destructive device which causes death, mayhem or great bodily injury." He served eight years in the California prison system before being released on parole in 1979. Locally, Poulin was an active and outspoken member of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane. PJALS leader Rusty Nelson said Thursday that Poulin wanted to take more direct action in promoting his causes. Poulin was outspoken on a variety of issues relating particularly to the recent war in Iraq as well as US relations to Israel and the formation of a Palestinian state. He wrote numerous articles along with his ex-wife for the "Palestine Papers", an online collection of articles hosted on the Sonoma County Free Press Web site.As we say, one of the usual suspects. Bolts were loosened or removed last week from the legs of transmission towers in at least four locations: Madras, McNary, and Klamath Falls in Oregon and Anderson in northern California. The Department of Homeland Security bulletin reported that the federal agency that manages a section of the west’s power grid has increased security. It also suggested power companies take protective measures by assigning more ground patrols and welding bolts to the legs of transmission towers. The bulletin says currently there is no indication the incidents are linked to terrorism. It sure sounds like it to me. I’d also say Mr. Poulin most likely has help. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #11 I helped send Poulan to prison in 1985 on a charge of illegal wiretap related to a stalking case. He was obsessed with a certain woman and was harassing her and threatening her and ultimately was tapping the phones of her friends to try to find where she was hiding. Prior to that, in the early 70s, he'd stalked another woman and planted a bomb in her car which blinded her father. He IS a lone nutcase with a grudge, an obsessive streak, and a violent streak. His "politics" have as little to do with it as a child molester's membership in the Democratic or Republican party. Frankly I am glad they caught him at this stage because, like in the stalking cases, he probably would have escalated to bigger & worse over a short time. All I can say tonight is, THREE STRIKES, YOU'RE OUT!! Lock that bastard up and throw away the key!!!! |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-11-3 6:15:33 AM |
| #10 It's a sad day when you can no longer depend on redneck vigilantes to keep power lines safe throughout rural America. You go through back roads and see the stopsigns full of little holes and you think the area has been marked for the Palestinian loving peaceniks to keep out. Somebody release a bunch of grizzlies in the area and dump refuse from a sausage plant on the base of all the towers. You know the refuse I mean - the mysterious chunky stuff that they squeegie into the drains. Yeah, it will mean hot dog prices will go up, but we need to keep our distribution system secure. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-10-31 8:12:18 PM |
| #9 Atomic Conspiracy: I know all about Cat Steven's "spiritual journey," but saying "Seals & Croft finally snapped!" just didn't seem right! |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2003-10-31 6:49:49 PM |
| #8 I'm being followed by a cruise missile, cruise missile, cruise missile. (Stolen from Model4) |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-10-31 6:01:30 PM |
| #7 "Damn. Cat Stevens finally snapped!" Closer than you think. Cat Stevens snapped a long time ago. He now calls himself Yusuf Islam and goes around preaching against the terrible persecution suffered by He was deported from Israel a while back for giving money to Hamas ("peace train soundin' louder") and being a general pain in the ass. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2003-10-31 5:04:47 PM |
| #6 He has blackish-gray hair, brown eyes, and a beard. He wears wire-rimmed glasses. Damn. Cat Stevens finally snapped! Peace bro! |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2003-10-31 4:36:35 PM |
| #5 Everyone in the Northwest US, keep your eyes open. Ernst said the FBI is very confident that Poulin is in the Eugene, Ore., area. She said information leading the FBI to his believed whereabouts surfaced as part of the investigation, but wouldn't release any specifics. "We want to keep the heat on," Ernst said. Poulin is described as a white man about 5 feet 11 inches tall and 250 pounds. He has blackish-gray hair, brown eyes, and a beard. He wears wire-rimmed glasses. The FBI is asking people to call authorities if they spot Poulin or his truck, a gray 1997 Toyota T-100 pickup with a white shell attached and Washington state license plate A36457P. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-10-31 3:52:12 PM |
| #4 I guess in that case they consider ELF burning down housing developments to be artistic expression protected under the First Amendment. Not terrorism. Nope, nope, nope... |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-10-31 2:47:39 PM |
#3 The bulletin says currently there is no indication the incidents are linked to terrorism. Maybe not linked to Islamic (or maybe so), but it's terrorism nonetheless. What do these clowns think it was, as jolly college prank? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2003-10-31 2:39:56 PM |
| #2 "We’re not releasing anything saying they’re all connected," Without the bolts, they're not. |
| Posted by: VAMark 2003-10-31 2:31:30 PM |
| #1 Do we have our first case of "peace" movement terrorism? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-10-31 11:27:11 AM |