Canadian Man Sentenced for Shooting Up Pipeline, Power Station in the Dakotas
The suspect entered the United States illegally, took a rifle, and unleashed a barrage of bullets at two important energy stations in the Dakotas. Now a Canadian man won’t be heading home anytime soon.
50-year-old Cameron Monte Smith was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for his attacks on the Wheelock Substation in North Dakota and the Keystone Pipeline in South Dakota.
According to prosecutors, Smith opened fire on the facilities with multiple rounds from a high-powered rifle, causing significant damage.
The Keystone attack in 2022 caused more than $100,000 in damage to a transformer and pumpstation. It resulted in a disruption of the Keystone Pipeline, which transports Canadian crude oil to U.S. refineries.
The Wheelock attack occurred in May 2023, and caused more than $100,000 in damage. It also caused power outages in parts of North Dakota.
“This sentence serves as a reminder that the Department of Justice will use all its resources to investigate and aggressively prosecute any attack on our critical civilian infrastructures,” said Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota. “Our law enforcement partners and career prosecutors in the Districts of North and South Dakota deserve recognition for working shoulder to shoulder to bring this defendant to justice, thereby protecting our citizens’ access to essential energy services.”
Smith pleaded guilty in September 2024 to the two offenses. Law enforcement notes that as a Canadian, “Mr. Smith was barred from possessing firearms and ammunition in the United States.”
While federal court records did not indicate a motive, documents in a North Dakota court note that symbols used by environmentalists to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline were observed near the scene of one of the incidents.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case with help from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and local law enforcement.
