Pinole, Hercules, San Pablo police phone lines knocked out by new attempted copper cable theft

Emergency phone lines for three cities in West Contra Costa County have been rerouted since Saturday following an attempted copper cable theft — the second such incident this month, police said.

Calls to 911 for Pinole, Hercules and San Pablo continued to be answered by Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office then transferred to Pinole’s communications center, according to a Pinole press release sent Tuesday. The text-to-911 line remains functional.

The communication center received word around 7:20 p.m. Saturday that both the 911 and business lines were down, according to the release. The department began rerouting emergency calls to the communications center for the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office and dispatched officers to the location of a June 4 copper cable theft that also disrupted calls.

When officers arrived, three male suspects fled into a nearby field toward a residential area. With the help of Hercules police, officers formed a perimeter around the field, they said. Officers also requested aid from a Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department helicopter and canine unit.

Police apprehended two of the suspects but the third remained at large. Tools for cutting copper cable were found at the scene and on one of the suspects, authorities said. The two suspects were booked into Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of felony vandalism and damaging telephone lines; one of the two people was also suspected of a probation violation.