By A Canadian man has pleaded guilty to charges related to shooting at energy facilities in South Dakota and North Dakota.
Cameron Monte Smith pleaded guilty in federal court in Bismarck, N.D., Wednesday, Sept. 11 to two counts of destruction of an energy facility, one count in each state.
Smith faces up to 20 years in prison on each count.
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Smith
He caused more than $495,000 in damage to a transformer and pump station of the Keystone XL Pipeline in Clark County in July 2022, court records show. The Keystone Pipeline, operated by TC Energy, carries oil from Canada through North Dakota and South Dakota to facilities in Illinois and Texas.
Court documents show that Smith caused more than $1.2 million in damage by shooting with a high-powered rifle at the Wheelock substation near Ray in northwest North Dakota in May 2023.
The substation is operated by Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative and Basin Electric Power Cooperative. The shooting knocked out power to more than 240 people, The Bismarck Tribune has reported.
“Cameron Smith orchestrated and executed attacks on critical energy infrastructure in North and South Dakota using a high-powered rifle,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota Alison Ramsdell. “Thanks to our partners in the District of North Dakota, the FBI, ATF, and the National Security Division, this defendant has been held to account for his criminal activity, and he will now be subject to serious time in federal prison.”
Court records say the final damage estimates had not yet been determined.
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Smith had also been charged with possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition by an illegal alien, but those charges are expected to be dropped under a plea agreement. It’s alleged he possessed a .450-caliber Bushmaster rifle and 9-millimeter Sig Sauer pistol.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 16 in Bismarck.
Smith’s defense attorney did not respond to an email request for comment late Wednesday.