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A man accused of shooting three Central Maine Power substations is now facing federal charges.
Thomas Welch, 54, of Winslow was charged Wednesday with a felony count of destruction of an energy facility in U.S. District Court of Maine in Bangor. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
The federal charges come three months after Welch allegedly shot CMP substations in Windsor, Winslow and Augusta in the early morning hours of Feb. 15. He was charged the day of the shooting with three felony counts of aggravated criminal mischief in Kennebec County Superior Court.
An affidavit from the FBI details Welch’s confession, the millions of dollars of damage to the substations and political rantings Welch posted in the weeks before the shooting.
Bullet holes and damage were visible at all substations, two of which had oil leaking from equipment after the shooting, according to the affidavit. Winslow police found 52 shell casings in one area at the substation, records said.
More than 10,000 customers lost power after the shooting, most for about 36 minutes, according to the affidavit.
Less than 12 hours after the shootings, a friend of Welch’s called police and said that Welch wanted to turn himself in, which he did, records said. Welch agreed to speak to police but said there were some details he wouldn’t share without a lawyer.
“Welch went on to be interviewed by investigators and provided some facts related to the shootings, but would not tell investigators why he committed the shootings,” the FBI affidavit said.
All of the guns used in the shooting were still in his car, which “contained a lot of weapons and ammunition,” the affidavit said. The car and Welch’s shop had more weapons and ammunition, he allegedly told police.
Welch said he didn’t plan to hurt people and he did not try to hide the substation shootings, pointing out that there are a lot of cameras, according to the affidavit. He said he should be seen in the security footage.
At least one round of ammunition Welch allegedly fired was a tracer round because security footage captured a visible flash of light traveling from his car toward the substation. Welch told a friend he decided to not shoot at the Albion substation because there were houses close by.
Welch made Facebook posts about the “corrupt state and federal government” and complained about mass shootings and “nutjobs,” according to an FBI review of his account.
Welch is held in the Kennebec County Jail in Augusta. The federal charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.
