Utah Power offers reward for vandalism information

Utah Power is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of some vandals.

The company's Holladay substation, 1954 E. 4780 South, was vandalized Jan. 27 about 4 a.m. Spokesman Dave Eskelsen said someone apparently scaled the fence and tampered with circuit breakers and switch components.

The damage caused a power outage to more than 3,600 customers. Power was restored less than an hour later.

"It's a concern for us. Substations are critical components. Tampering with controls inside is extremely risky," he said. "Even vandals, we wouldn't want them hurt or killed."

The voltages at substations are typically 46,000 watts or 138,000 watts, Eskelsen said.

"It could quite conceivably be instantly fatal," he said.

Investigators were unsure Tuesday if the vandal was a person with a knowledge of electricity or just someone who was randomly tampering with equipment.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office at 743-7010.