BOISE, Idaho — A Meridian man has been sentenced to serve probation after he shot at two Idaho Power hydroelectric stations in June 2022.
Randy Scott Vail, 59, was sentenced to five years of probation on Wednesday. Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also determined Vail must pay restitution of $546,982 to Idaho Power. The prosecution sought for Vail to serve 33 months in prison.
Vail pleaded guilty on March 8, 2024 to the charges of the destruction of an energy facility after shooting at the two power stations.
According to court records, Vail drove his motorcycle to Hells Canyon late on the night of June 8, 2022. He loaded a rifle and then shot at the power substation, which resulted in power loss.
About an hour later, Vail arrived at the Brownlee Dam, where he again loaded the rifle and shot the dam's power substation. The U.S. Attorney's Office said large plumes of sparks were visible in the switch yard of the power plant.
About 45 minutes after the Brownlee Dam shooting, a sheriff's deputy encountered Vail on the motorcycle on Highway 71 traveling south to Cambridge. After a three-mile pursuit, Vail pulled over and was taken into custody.
During the search and inventory of Vail's items, police found bolt cutters, a guitar case with two rifles, and live and spent ammunition. He also had two yellow compressed air tanks with gasoline, with the pressure gauge missing, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit said in a news release.
The estimated cost of the damage done was at least $546,982.46. It caused a significant interruption to energy facilities, with the loss of power production at both facilities leaving a reduced capacity for Idaho Power.
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