Last Updated on April 1, 2026 by The HD Post Staff
Photo credit: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s DepartmentCALIFORNIA – Investigators with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Rural Crimes Task Force on March 31 investigated a fiber optic cable theft near East Fairway Drive and North Crossroads Drive in San Bernardino.
The theft caused two days of critical communication outages.
Investigators identified suspects living in a homeless encampment just north of the theft site. Rural Crimes investigators, assisted by Central Station deputies and the H.O.P.E. team, contacted individuals at the encampment.
About 300 feet of fiber optic cable was found near the encampment.
AT&T estimated damage at $194,000, excluding fines and customer reimbursements. During the investigation, nine suspects were arrested in connection with the theft:
- Manuel Cisneros, 42, of San Bernardino
- Rudy Salazar, 37, of Rialto
- Justin Lewis, 37, of San Bernardino
- Crystal Flores, 37, of San Bernardino
- Alexandria Cornaggia, 31, of Rialto
- Jamie Frey, 47, of San Bernardino
- Jonathan Valdivia, 33, of San Bernardino
- Rachel Jimenez, 40, of San Bernardino
- Joe Corral Jr., 46, of San Bernardino
Surge in infrastructure vandalism
State officials say copper wire thefts are increasing across California, often driven by scrap value.
Fiber optic cables, while less valuable, can still be mistakenly cut — often confused with copper — causing major communication outages.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact Deputy Mark Contreras of the Sheriff’s Gangs/Narcotics Rural Crimes Task Force at (909) 387-8400. Anonymous tips can be submitted to We-Tip at 1-800-782-7463 or wetip.com.
