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 for damaging Midco fiber optic lines in Fargo in August.

Timothy Paul Windels pleaded guilty Thursday, Oct. 24, in East Central Judicial District Court, using an Alford plea, to four counts of willfully interfering with or impairing a public service. In an Alford plea, the defendant admits that the prosecution has enough evidence to convict them, but they do not admit to committing the crime.

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

Restitution is to 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., court documents said.

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

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

Helmut Schmidt is a business reporter for The Forum. It is a German import, arriving 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 microwave radio operator and repairman. He earned a degree in journalism from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, then began working for the Albert Lea Tribune in southeastern Minnesota, where he served as managing editor for three years. At the Forum, he spoke on 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].