Two charged in Connecticut for knocking out internet for 40,000 customers

The internet went out for tens of thousands of customers after two people allegedly cut fiber optic lines in Connecticut, police said Sunday. 

Officers in Norwalk arrested Jillian Nicole Persons, 30, and Austin Keith Geddings, 26, on Saturday in connection with the March 24 outage. 

Police responded to a report of damaged Optimum cable lines on Broad Street in Norwalk on the morning of March 24, officials said. Optimum workers told officers more than 2,000 fiber optic lines had been cut. 

Police identified a vehicle tied to the suspects, who are both from Asheville, North Carolina, and issued arrest warrants for Persons and Geddings, authorities said. Detectives spotted Person while conducting surveillance in Bridgeport on Saturday. They arrested her without incident. Police found and arrested Geddings a short time later in a wooded area in Stratford. 

Bail was set at $200,000 for both suspects, officials said. Persons was charged with conspiracy to commit larceny, among other charges. Police charged Geddings with similar offenses.

Officials have not shared a motive for the alleged crime. The pair set to return to court on April 11.