Felony Charges For Man Caught Trespassing At Grand Haven Power Plant
October 13, 2008 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
A Muskegon man will face felony charges for trespassing after a September incident at the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power’s Sims Plant.
The charges stem from an incident in which BLP employees noticed an unauthorized man dressed in all-black clothing in a restricted area near the power plant.
According to the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety, the 26-year-old man was apprehended on Sept. 12. Trespassing violations are normally considered misdemeanors, GHDPS Lt. Renee Freeman said, but protocols put in place after Sept. 11, 2001, list the power plant as a “key facility.”
The Department of Homeland Security and the Joint Terrorism Task Force were contacted, Freeman said, and advisers from those agencies were instrumental in the decision to pursue felony charges. A warrant was authorized on Oct. 8 and the man was taken into custody. Trespassing on a key facility is a four-year felony.
A power plant employee who makes hourly rounds throughout the Harbor Island plant campus was the first to spot the suspect, according to BLP spokeswoman Renee Molyneux. She said the suspect was wearing all black.
“One of our employees saw him on the site and approached him and he took off running,” Molyneux said.
The employee got into a vehicle and followed the suspect, who then ran into the brush, she said. The employee then used the plant’s intercom system to ask staff to call 911.
She said all employees are trained in safety procedures through mandatory training exercises, and called the employee’s response “quick and decisive.”
Molyneux said the police discovered the suspect walking down the street with wet clothing.
“We were very pleased that (the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety) was able to detain him,” Molyneux said. “You just can’t have people wandering into a critical infrastructure sites.”
It may be interesting to note that although the suspect is 26 years old and in custody, his name is never mentioned in any of the news articles.
Homeland Security elevates charge against man accused of BLP trespassing
Muskegon man to face trespassing charge for entering BLP areaHomeland Security elevates charge against man accused of BLP trespassing
Having his name published is not important, catching him was.
This character should be handed the maximum punishment possible. Why? Not because he entered the restricted area near the power plant but because he was determined not to get caught. Our nation is at war and terrorist activity (completed or not) is at the top of our watch list. Remember, we have to be right “all” the time, the terrorist only has to be right “once”.
Congratulations to the plant employees and security personel!
Having his name published is important. What are they trying to hide? This was not a child under the age of 18.
Jeremy Sowa, who told the court he has no home and lives out of his car, was charged with trespassing a U.S. Department of Homeland Security classified “key facility,” a four-year felony. His bond of $3,500 was continued and his pre-preliminary was set for 8 a.m. Tuesday. I still don’t know the importance of his name being published but….there you are.
Well, Jeremy may have been homeless and living out of his car, but if he is guilty of a felony, he will get 3 squares and a crib in the joint. And some time to straighten himself out. These are the kind of people who need help, observation, and treatment.
In some countries, his actions would have meant death, torture, or incarceration in a hellhole. Jeremy doesn’t know how good he has it.
He could have been seriously injured or killed. Live high voltage transmission equipment does not forgive or ignore.