A second man from Washington state has entered a plea of not guilty to federal charges of vandalizing power substations in Oregon during 2022. Zachary Rosenthal, a 33-year-old Tacoma resident, made his plea in federal court in Portland on Tuesday, facing three charges of damaging an energy facility.
According to the indictment, Rosenthal is accused of causing damage to the Ostrander Substation in Oregon City on Nov. 24, 2022, and then damaging the Sunnyside Substation in Clackamas four days later. The indictment states that the damage caused at the Ostrander Substation exceeded $100,000, while the damage at the Sunnyside Substation was estimated at $5,000. Both substations play critical roles in the transmission and distribution of electricity.
Earlier in April, Nathaniel Cheney from Centralia, Washington, pleaded not guilty after being indicted on two counts related to damaging an energy facility. He was released under certain conditions, with a jury trial set for August.
Security reports from the Bonneville Power Administration revealed that at the Oregon City substation, a perimeter fence was cut and equipment was shot at. However, investigators have not disclosed a clear motive behind the vandalism.
A second indictment against Rosenthal was unsealed, accusing him of stealing twenty-four firearms from a licensed firearm dealer in January 2023 in the Portland area. He was also charged with unlawful possession of firearms as a convicted felon and pleaded not guilty to these charges in federal court on Tuesday. Rosenthal has been detained pending further legal proceedings.
Federal law stipulates that damaging an energy facility and causing over $100,000 in damages could lead to a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Notably, two power substations in North Carolina suffered damage in December 2022 from gunfire, resulting in significant power outages. Legislation was signed in North Carolina last year to increase penalties for deliberate damage to utility infrastructure.