Fargo man pleads guilty to damaging Midco fiber optic lines – InForum

FARGO — A Fargo man must spend 180 days in jail and pay more than $3,700 in restitution and fines for damaging Midco fiber optic lines in Fargo in August.

Timothy Paul Windels pleaded guilty Thursday, Oct. 24, in East Central Judicial District Court via an Alford plea to four counts of willful interference with or damage to a public service. In an Alford plea, the defendant admits that the prosecution has enough evidence to convict him, but he does not admit to committing the crime.

Judge Susan Bailey sentenced Windels to 180 days in jail, with credit for 59 days served, as well as 18 months probation. He must also pay $3,728.21 in fees and damages to the four businesses, court documents said.

Court documents say restitution must be paid to Community Family Market, Rodeway Inn, Larson Welding and Machine Company (2610 1st Ave. N.) and another business listed as 1902 1st Ave.

Windels was arrested by Fargo police on Friday, August 23, the day after the damage was reported.

At the time, it was reported that damage to the fiber optic infrastructure caused service to some Midco customers to be disrupted, but was repaired within hours.

Helmut Schmidt is a business reporter for The Forum. It was imported from Germany and arrived in the United States about ten years after the Volkswagen Beetle. After graduating from high school in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, he served in the U.S. Army as a radio operator and microwave systems repairman. He earned a journalism degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, then went to work for the Albert Lea Tribune in southeastern Minnesota, where he served as managing editor for three years. At the Forum, he has covered a variety of topics, including K-12 schools, city government, police and courts, and the business community. Contact Helmut at 701-241-5583 or [email protected].