A Richmond police drone helped officers track down a man accused of cutting underground fiber-optic cable, damage that Xfinity estimates will cost up to $300,000 to repair.
Officers were dispatched to Florida Avenue and South 23rd Street at 3:40 p.m. Saturday after a report of an unwanted person. Before they arrived, the department’s Drone First Responder spotted the man cutting utility wires, police said. The drone then guided officers to him.
Police arrested Noel Ramirez-Rodriguez, 33, of Richmond, on suspicion of felony vandalism and damaging a utility line. Police said he had removed a manhole cover to reach the wiring…