Second Utility Theft Arrests In Amador County

ACSO photo

Amador County, CA – A second arrest for utility theft in Amador County, left AT&T customers in the area without service for several hours.

Last month, three Stockton men were arrested on Highway 124 near Ione after a pole saw and numerous amounts of freshly cut, stripped copper wire were found in their vehicle near where the cable had been severed, as reported here. Earlier this week, the phone lines went down again, and the same sheriff’s deputy who made the arrest in the last incident found a similar situation in the area of Highway 124 and Highway 88.

He discovered a vehicle occupied by two subjects, identified as 34-year-old Jose Maldonado and 49-year-old Jose Pardo-Gildo, both of Stockton, near the cut cables. A record check revealed that Maldonado was already on probation out of San Joaquin County for cutting phone lines and had two felony warrants related to vandalism and theft.

As in the previous arrest, a section of recently cut phone line was lying near the suspect’s vehicle. A search inside turned up a pair of long-handled pruning shears in the rear cargo area. Both men were arrested for cutting the telephone lines while attempting copper theft, along with numerous other felony charges.