Two men were arrested Monday morning and charged with recent cable thefts in the Snoqualmie and North Bend areas, according to the Snoqualmie Police Department.
On Dec. 4, officers responded to the report of a suspicious vehicle in the elk meadows along the 9800 block of Railroad Avenue Southeast.
When officers arrived, they found a white van parked outside of a designated area and a man nearby.
Based on information that a similar van had been seen in that location before, the man was detained for questioning.
As officers spoke with the man, a second man was found hiding in a bush nearby. Close to him were two backpacks, bolt cutters, and wire loopers.
According to police, next to the van were two stacks of cut cable, waiting to be loaded into the van. There were also hand tools, Milwaukee hand tools and batteries, and Sawzalls. In a backpack, officers also found a realistic-looking gun with a working trigger.
Both men were North Bend residents and were out on bail. They were both charged with attempted theft and malicious mischief.
Lumen estimated the damages to the cable to be at least $20,000 but could rise based on repair costs.