KTLA

Vandal slashes fiberoptic cables, crippling internet access for some in Hesperia, SBSD says

Hesperia residents were without internet access for hours on Sunday after an apparent vandal slashed fiberoptic and copper cables on a utility pole, authorities said.

Shortly before 11:30 a.m., deputies responded to C Avenue and Hercules Street, where they found “a span of fiber optic cables [had been] cut from poles,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.


The primary service provider, Charter/Spectrum, told deputies about the damage, which was caused by an unknown person and was estimated to cost about $40,000, officials said.

The outage lasted “several hours until the restoration was completed,” and it “appears the vandalism may have also affected customers of other network providers,” officials added.

No suspected vandal has been identified, and the motive remains unknown.

Anyone with information is asked to call 760-947-1500 or 760-956-5001.

To remain anonymous, call the WeTip Hotline at 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or visit wetip.com.