A Long Island man accused of cutting fiber optic cables in Queens amid the ongoing Spectrum workers’ strike will not be prosecuted.
ABC7 reported that Spectrum employee Michael Tolve, 48, was arrested at his home in Wantagh on Wednesday, July 12, and charged with criminal mischief.
Officials said that Tolve allegedly cut the fiber optic wires, causing $67,000 worth of damage to the equipment and leaving 60,000 customers without TV, internet and phone service for many hours before repairs were made. He was also accused of stealing a memory card from a surveillance camera.
But the Queens District Attorney’s office reportedly dropped all charges against Tolve pending further investigation. According to ABC7, Tolve had been employed at Spectrum (formerly known as Time Warner Cable) for 14 years.
Charter Communications, the company that owns Spectrum stated that there has been 106 cases of cables being cut in the Spectrum network since its cable technicians went on strike back in March.
