Two Suspects Accused of Cutting Internet Cable Lines in Connecticut, Leaving Thousands Without Service

Two suspects have been charged in connection with alleged vandalism of internet lines in Connecticut that left thousands without service.

Norwalk Police announced two suspects, Jillian Nicole Persons, 30, and Austin Keith Geddings, 26 — both of Asheville, North Carolina — were arrested on charges relating to alleged vandalism of cable lines operated by the internet service provider Optimum, resulting in service disruptions for over 40,000 customers.

“On March 24, 2023, at 7:16am, Patrol Division officers responded to a report of damage to Optimum cable lines on Broad Street,” police wrote. “Optimum personnel on the scene reported over 2000 fiber optic lines had been cut and as a result over 40,000 customers had lost service.”

The post indicated that police “assumed the investigation and quickly identified a suspect vehicle and developed suspects.”

Citing Police Lieutenant Joseph Dinho, the Connecticut Insider reported Norwalk Police were alerted to the damage to the cable lines by an Optimum employee “reporting damage to some fiber optic lines, and that he felt it was intentional.”

Janet Meahan, a spokesperson for Optimum, indicated the outages resulted from an act of vandalism, per the Insider.

“The authorities have been notified and Optimum teams are on site repairing the extensive damage, which we expect will take into tomorrow to fully address,” she said. “We are communicating with our customers and working as quickly as possible to restore service.”

News 12 reported that “Images taken at the scene show dozens of fiber optic lines sheared and lying on the ground.”

Persons has been charged with Conspiracy to Commit Criminal Mischief, Conspiracy to Commit Larceny, Interfering with a Police Officer, and False Statement, and Geddings faces charges of Conspiracy to Commit Criminal Mischief, Criminal Attempt to Commit Larceny, Conspiracy to Commit Larceny, and Interfering with a Police Officer, according to police.

Both suspects have had their bond set at $200,000 and are awaiting a court date on April 4.