A man is due in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Wednesday, September 25 after being charged in relation to damage caused to a Western Power transmission tower in Pinjar, which was detected in April last year.

WA Police will allege the man attended the site where the tower was standing on April 20, 2023 and caused sufficient damage to the tower to cause it to collapse.

The incident caused a temporary power supply interruption to some industrial customers and a significant amount of work was required to repair and reconstruct the tower.

In April this year police set up a command vehicle near the intersection of Wandoo and Neaves roads in Pinjar to help seek information about the transmission tower, which they said could be linked to another incident in the same location at the time.

Police said a wooden power pole on Wandoo Rd, near the collapsed tower, had been pulled down and dragged in a northerly direction for about a kilometre, which would likely have required a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Then on July 2 WA Police said the state government was funding a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and conviction of the person/s responsible for damage to the transmission tower.

On September 5, state security investigation detectives carried out a search warrant at a Clarkson residence where they found a vehicle and other items of interest to the investigation.

“A 33-year-old man was taken into custody,’’ a police spokeswoman said.

During the search of the man’s residence an amount of cannabis, 30 rounds of unlicensed ammunition and an improvised device capable of firing a projectile were located.

The 33-year-old Clarkson man has been charged with criminal damage or destruction of property, possession of prohibited drugs with intent to sell or supply (cannabis) and three counts of unlicensed person possess firearm-ammunition.

This article appeared on Yanchep News Online on 13 September 2024.