A 48-year-old man was arrested Saturday after a resident reported seeing him pull wiring from a utility box in Santa Monica, cutting off internet service and television services for a swath of residents North of Montana, police said.
Santa Monica police responded at 1:06 p.m. to the 100 block of Marguerita Avenue. Officers found a man matching the resident’s description nearby, and the resident identified him, according to police. Fred Hudson was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism.
Repairs were estimated at about $2,000 and while some residents were told repairs would not be complete until Monday, others had service restored after about 15 hours.
Officers searching Hudson after the arrest found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, police said. He was booked into the Santa Monica Police Department jail on suspicion of felony vandalism, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as violating probation and post-release community supervision.
Officers also received a report of tampering with another utility cabinet in the 400 block of Ocean Avenue, near Georgina Avenue but police found no clear signs of damage there.