Illegal Canadian who shot up electrical facilities in South Dakota, North Dakota prison bound

Man was protesting the existence of North Dakota oil pipeline

A Canadian man who opened fire on two energy facilities in the Dakotas won’t be going home any time soon.

Cameron Monte Smith will serve 25 years in prison after damaging the Wheelock Substation near Ray, North Dakota and a transformer and pumpstation for the Keystone Pipeline near Carpenter, South Dakota. The North Dakota attack happened in May, 2023, which followed Smith’s attack on Keystone in July 2022.

Smith, 50, pled guilty to the two attacks last year. He opened fire on the facilities with multiple rounds from a high-powered rifle. The Keystone attack resulted in disruption of operation – the pipeline transports Canadian crude oil to American refineries. The Wheelock attack disrupted electrical service to customers of Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative and Basin Electric Power Cooperative.

Gov. Rhoden's property tax freeze last surviving relief package