Three Arrested For Utility Theft In Amador County
Amador County, CA – An AT&T crew working to fix a service interruption caused by someone cutting fiber optic cable and utility lines in Amador County led to the arrest of three men for theft.
Utility workers called 911 on Sunday afternoon when they arrived at the work site on Highway 124 south of Ione to report a suspicious vehicle and three men running from it into the woods. Once on scene, deputies searched the vehicle and uncovered a pole saw and numerous amounts of stripped copper wire, including a freshly cut, bundled-up cable that was outside next to it.
While sifting through the evidence, sheriff’s officials reported that a man came out of the tree line with his hands up. He told deputies he had left the vehicle because it would not start, and he was detained.
Then deputies and CHP officers began to comb the woods. They found and followed three sets of footprints down a nearby dirt access road. About a quarter mile down the road, the tracks led into a marshy area along the highway. Suddenly, two additional men came out of the muddy area onto the highway. Sheriff’s officials detailed, “All three subjects were covered in mud and sticks as though having been in the brush for a lengthy period of time.”
The trio, Elpidio Rivera (43), Joel Riveravilla (26) and Hialario Lopez (36), all from Stockton, were arrested for utility theft, interfering with power lines, damaging utility lines, conspiracy, and possession of controlled substance.
