FBI calls in extra team of investigators to Oak Creek, Wis. transmission t

October 12, 2004 (Oak Creek, Wis.) — Oak Creek's police chief says they've found some physical evidence connected to the toppled transmission towers, including some of the bolts that were removed.
Chief Tom Bauer says he hopes the evidence leads them to the culprit responsible for the sabotaged towers. He won't say what other evidence they've found, but he says they'll continue searching another 24 hours and have expanded the search area.

The F-B-I is calling in more manpower. A response team of eight people from Chicago will start first thing tomorrow.

Authorities say the bolts were removed from one or both of the high-voltage towers, causing one to fall into the other Saturday
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/101204_ap_ns_toppledtowers.html


Two transmission towers intentionally knocked over

By Juliet Williams, Associated Press
OAK CREEK, Wis. — As federal agents scoured the area where two 80-foot transmission towers toppled over the weekend, the company that owns them offered a $10,000 reward Monday for information about the person who tampered with them.
Oak Creek Police Chief Thomas Bauer said bolts had been removed from the base of at least one of the towers before they fell over Saturday evening, cutting power to 17,000 customers, including Milwaukee's airport.

American Transmission Company, which owns the towers, offered $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of whoever was responsible.

"This is extremely crucial information. This type of activity cannot be allowed to continue," ATC spokeswoman Maripat Blankenheim said.

more
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-10-11-tower-sabotage_x.htm

From the story:
The towers fell shortly after a plane carrying Sen. John Edwards, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, landed at Mitchell International Airport....

Oh, so it was a right-wingnut who did it. Then it's not terrorism after all, is it?

not of politics but of transmission lines. We have had a huge debate in Wisconsin that has led to battle lines being drawn between citizens groups who want to protect our wilderness and ATC, the transmission line company who wants to cover our state with transmission lines under the guise of preventing blackouts.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that this is someone's form of protest against transmission lines. If they can convince people in Wisconsin that transmission lines can be easily sabotaged and the power wouldn't be reliable, they may force power companies and local elected officials to consider other power avenues.


edited to add, the bolts were likely long gone before John Edwards arrived at the airport - probably at night. It was likely an unfortunate coincidence.

that was taking the bolts out of towers as well. He did get caught but it took a few weeks.

he had been traveling up and down the west coast doing this.

he was a bearded somewhat chubby whiteguy driving a pick up if i remember it right.

he had some strange reasons for doing what he did too...shady dude.

that's terror talk sweetie.

The news I heard on this yesterday was that standard tools were all that were needed to pull the bolts...considering the relationship of Justice Dept. to libraries I suppose the PATRIOT ACT has gone retail and SEARS is now searching records to see who bought the right sized Craftsman box-end wrench.

The toppling of the towers may be criminally far beyond simple vandalism, but I doubt that OBL sent operatives to down the towers.