AMADOR COUNTY, Calif. — Three men were arrested on suspicion of copper wire theft after AT&T's network went down in Amador county.
The Amador County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle along Highway 124 south of Ione. It was found in the same area AT&T was fixing a service interruption caused by someone cutting fiber optic cable and utility lines.
Deputies were told three men took off from the suspicious vehicle and into the woods.
The suspicious vehicle was ultimately towed due to expired registration, but deputies said they were able to find drug paraphernalia and evidence of copper wire theft in and around it. Deputies said they found "copious amounts of stripped copper wire" and freshly cut service wire nearby.
A man appeared while deputies were investigating and approached with his hands up. He was detained as a suspect while deputies followed footprints that led them to two other men along Highway 124. Those two men were also detained.
The suspects were identified as Elpidio Rivera, Joel Riveravilla, and Hialario Lopez of Stockton. All three were arrested on suspicion of utilities theft, interfering with power lines, damaging utility lines, conspiracy and possession of a controlled substance.
WATCH ALSO:
