Man allegedly caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to internet and cable lines

FARGO (KVRR-KFGO) – According to court records, Fargo police have arrested a man who may have caused thousands of dollars in damage to internet and cable lines in Fargo by tampering with the infrastructure.

Timothy Windels, 36, is accused of cutting Midco lines at seven different locations in the city, causing significant outages to residential and commercial customers, including Community Family Market, Rodeway Inn, Northwest Pipe Fittings and Larson Welding and Machine Company.

An official said Windels was also seen tinkering with a fuse box at the federal courthouse north of Fargo.

According to court documents, Windels used an angle grinder to cut the cables.

Windels' mother told investigators that he had a history of mental health and drug problems and was fixated on wiretapping because he believed the government was using it to track him.

Windels was arrested on Friday and was found to be carrying an angle grinder. He is accused of four counts of tampering with or damaging a public service.