Alaska State Troopers in Klawock received a call from Alaska Power and Telephone on New Years Eve reporting that a power transformer had been shot with a high-powered rifle.

The electrical transformer that was used as a target is situated near the community of Coffman Cove, which is on the northeast coast of Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska.

The gunshot caused a substantial interuption to the electrical system of Coffman Cove and caused the system to switch to emergency electrical generation with the community’s diesel generators . The disruption lasted for approximately 24 hours until repairs could be made to the system.

The cost of the repairs to the system are estimated to be approximately $10,000.

Coffman Cove has a population of approximately 170 people. Coffman Cove had its beginnings as a logging camp in the 1950s, and logging was the major source of employment in the community for many years. That has changed through time however, and the community’s economy is now a tourist based one.

Alaska State Troopers are asking anyone with information that could lead to a suspect in this case to please call the Klawock Post at 1-800-754-2918.