EAGAN, Minn. -- Eagan police have identified the St. Paul man who allegedly climbed over a barbed-wire fence and broke into a Dakota Electric substation early this morning, severely burning himself and disrupting power to more than 7,000 homes.
Joe Miller, a spokesman for Dakota Electric, said it appears that suspect and two others were attempting to steal copper from the electric substation when he came into contact with a transmission line carrying 69,000 volts. Police have spoken with witnesses who said they could see a flash of light from miles away.
Shortly after 12:30 a.m., David Stachowiak, 33, was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he remains in stable condition. He is expected to survive, police spokeswoman Danielle Anselment said.
Two others were arrested near the scene: Alanna Magnuson, 28, of St. Paul, and Brad Krekelberg, 31, of St. Paul. They were taken into custody on suspicion of felony damage to property, booked at the Eagan police department and released.
Power was restored about 3 a.m.
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"In my 12 years here, we have not had any incident like this," Miller said.
A Minnesota State Patrol helicopter and a canine team from the Dakota County Sheriff's office assisted in the investigation. Anselment said police will work with the Dakota County Attorney's Office to determine appropriate charges.
The substation, on Deerwood Drive west of Interstate 35E, serves Dakota Electric customers in western and southwestern parts of the city.
Miller said the suspect cut barbed wire at the top a chain-link fence and then climbed onto a transformer before contacting the 69,000-volt transmission line.
Dakota Electric provides electricity to more than 100,000 customers in Dakota County and portions of Goodhue, Rice and Scott counties by purchasing power from providers. The transmission line brings the electricity into the substation, where it is effectively "stepped down" or divided up into lower voltages and then redistributed to customer's homes.
