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Jul 27, 2023

Copper theft halts 911 access in Woodinville as concerns mount for public safety

Next up in 5 Example video title will go here for this video WOODINVILLE, Wash. — Woodinville wineries, businesses and residents in several dozen homes spent the day without power, phone access or

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WOODINVILLE, Wash. — Woodinville wineries, businesses and residents in several dozen homes spent the day without power, phone access or internet access Thursday. This was due to thieves who cut electrical lines to the ground and stole copper wire, according to a spokesperson for the company that is now hard at work restoring those services.

Ziply Fiber told KING 5 that lately, they have seen a significant uptick in vandalism in King County.

"Last night here in Woodinville, two nights ago in Bellevue," said Ryan Luckin, vice president of marketing for Ziply Fiber. "Having this many incidents in one month is certainly more than normal."

In King County alone, the telecommunications company has reported 19 cases of vandalism to law enforcement since the beginning of August, according to Luckin.

Luckin said the frequency of this type of theft is not only expensive but concerning for customers.

"One of those tubes has a lot of different infrastructure in it, serves a lot of different people... folks rely on landlines for 911," said Luckin.

In the case of Woodinville's outage, Luckin said, "They wanted to get the cabling onto the ground, so they're using saws and things of that nature."

The cable that was cut looks like it was severed neatly with a heavy-duty electric tool. It could be seen lying on the ground Thursday, along the side of the road.

"[Customers] rely on it not just for public safety, but people are working from home."

Rich and Ellen McVey are two examples of people who work from home. They own Puppy Love Doggie Daycare, located near the site of Thursday morning's vandalism and theft. Because of the theft, their internet was out "all day," and they said it is frustrating not being able to use a computer to run their business.

"That’s where I go to check my mail, check messages," said Rich McVey.

Surviving the COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge all on its own, said Ellen McVey, but now they have to deal with this.

"Things are tight, things are tight," she said.

Ziply Fiber is now working with the FBI to try and find the culprits. But in the meantime, if anyone sees something suspicious, they're asked to say something.

"We really need the community's help to say, 'Hey, that doesn't look right. I'm gonna reach out,'" said Luckin.

People authorized to work on telephone and power lines will always have a recognizable logo on their car, equipment or uniform, Luckin said.

In the meantime, Ziply Fiber employees worked late into the night on Thursday to try and fix the issues associated with the cut lines.

While they work to restore things, the McVeys are bracing themselves for what could be a long wait.

"How do you fix a thousand little cables in one line?" said Rich McVey.

Most of the vandalism and theft cases Ziply Fiber reported were under the jurisdiction of the King County Sheriff's Office this month. KING 5 reached out but has not yet received a response.

It is also worth noting that police reported about $5,000 worth of copper wire theft in downtown Snoqualmie just a couple of weeks prior.