Major Internet Outage Sparked By Alleged Thieves

Published Nov 7, 2026 2:30 pm : Updated Nov 7, 2026 2:35 pm

Cut fiber optic cable found in truck—ACSO photo

Amador County, CA – Suspected thieves hiding in the woods in Amador County gave themselves up, but it was what they left behind in the trees that landed them in handcuffs.

A major AT&T internet outage stretching from Lockeford to Plymouth on the morning of Wednesday, November 4, 2026, got Ione police officers thinking of similar outages and went to check out those areas. They spotted a parked pickup along Highway 124 near the intersection of Highway 88. They also found evidence of cut and stripped fiber optic cables, and officers believed the suspects were hiding in the woods.

Amador County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted in a search of the truck. They reported, “After a few hours, the suspects came out of the woods cold and covered in mud.”

One of the suspects was found with drugs in his pocket, which he claimed were not his. Deputies also discovered a ladder in the woods used to remove the utility lines. Sheriff’s officials also disclosed that the suspects claimed it was not theirs, but a Flock camera caught a snapshot of the truck as it passed by earlier, showing the ladder on the vehicle.