A Washington man on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to a federal indictment accusing him of sabotaging two electrical substations in Clackamas County.
Nathaniel Cheney is accused of breaking into the Ostrander substation in Oregon City on Nov. 24, 2022, and damaging another power station in Clackamas on Nov. 28, 2022, according to the indictment.
The FBI had offered a $25,000 reward for information in the targeted attacks.
At the Oregon City substation, Cheney and an unidentified accomplice are accused of cutting into a perimeter fence about 1:40 a..m. and shooting at several pieces of equipment, according to a Bonneville Power Administration security memo sent to law enforcement after the vandalism. The Ostrander substation handles 500-kilovolt electricity, according to the BPA.
The damage was among a series of attacks in the Pacific Northwest that prompted federal officials to warn authorities that the U.S. power grid needs improved security to prevent domestic terrorism. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that domestic extremists have been developing “credible, specific plans” to attack electrical infrastructure since at least 2020.
Cheney appeared briefly with Assistant Federal Public Defender Robert Hamilton before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jolie A. Russo. He was allowed to remain out of custody pending trial.
Cheney was first arrested on a federal warrant on April 2 in Tacoma. He is restricted to traveling in only Oregon and Washington, unless he receives approval for other travel ahead of time.
A co-defendant’s name on the indictment filed in federal court remained redacted.
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