Man Accused of Cutting Telecommunications Cables, Affecting Thousands of Residents
Written By Jim Emerson
FREMONT —A 46-year-old man faces charges for allegedly cutting telecommunications cables in the neighborhood where he lives. Roshan D. Patel was arrested at his Raccoon Court residence in September.
Suspect: Roshan D. Patel
Cables in the vicinity of Mission Boulevard and Cougar Court were cut several times during September. Patel is accused of vandalizing the cables on at least two occasions—September 23 and 25.
Damaged cables caused outages of Internet and phone service for several thousand residents.
These disruptions included being unable to make emergency 911 calls.
Utility and fiber optic cables were severed causing an estimated $300,000 in damages. The resulting outages affected customers of AT&T, Comcast, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
After following up numerous investigatory leads, detectives concluded Patel was a suspect.
Authorities obtained a warrant for his arrest, and he was taken into custody September 28 at 5:42 p.m. Patel was transported and booked into Santa Rita Jail. He is being held behind bars in custody in lieu of $60,000 bond.
On September 30, Patel was charged for allegedly committing 12 felonies. His charges pertain to planning to commit a crime and cutting utility lines. He also faces charges for vandalism and causing damage with great monetary value.
The investigation of the vandalism of telecommunications cables is still active. Detectives are continuing to investigate leads. Anyone with information can contact Fremont police detective Travis MacDonald at 510-790-6900 or email tmcdonald@fremont.gov.
