Hawaii Island police have initiated a criminal property damage case in connection with damage to a fiber optics cable network on Mauna Kea. ADVERTISING Hawaii Island police have initiated a criminal property damage case in connection with damage to a
Hawaii Island police have initiated a criminal property damage case in connection with damage to a fiber optics cable network on Mauna Kea.
An employee with Mauna Kea Observatories Support Services reported the damage Thursday after a lengthy investigation into the cause of a June 24 malfunction of a buried fiber optical line linking observatories on Mauna Kea to the University of Hawaii network, the Hawaii Police Department reported Friday.
Technicians reportedly determined that a fiber optics cable in a conduit located about halfway between Hale Pohaku and the summit had been tampered with and then pushed back into the conduit to avoid detection. Damage was estimated at $50,000. The damage occurred in a “hand hole” next to a service road about 700 feet from Mauna Kea Access Road.
Anyone with information about this case should call the department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311 or contact Officer Jerome Duarte at 961-2211.
Those who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
