More details released about suspect in Comcast cable-cutting incident in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Court records show that the man accused of cutting ten Comcast fiber-optic cables in downtown Colorado Springs last month and causing a widespread phone and Internet outage, was driving a stolen truck and was illegally in possession of a handgun and drugs at the time of his arrest.

Michael Taylor, 36, is free on bond pending a Wednesday court date on a felony charge of criminal mischief for the cable-cutting on Jan. 11.

Taylor faces numerous charges connected to the stolen vehicle and the cut fiber optic cables.

According to two arrest affidavits obtained by KRDO, Taylor faces the following charges: Special Offender, Class One Drug Felony (DF1), Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Class Three Drug Felony (DF3), Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft, Class Five Felony (F5), Chop Shop Activity, Class Five Felony (F5), Possession of Weapons by a Previous Offender, a Class Five Felony (F5), and Criminal Mischief, Class Three Felony (F3).

Authorities designated Taylor as a "special offender" or "prolific offender" because all of his alleged crimes apparently were committed solely for financial gain.

According to the affidavit, the investigation into Taylor began two days earlier, during a vehicle theft in which police saw him enter a pickup truck reported stolen by the owner; the owner contacted police after seeing surveillance video of the truck on news reports after the cable-cutting.

Police had already placed an electronic tracking device on the truck to follow Taylor.

According to the court documents, during the cable-cutting at 322 East Cucharras Street, surveillance video shows that the suspect -- confirmed by police to be Taylor -- got out of the truck and began cutting the cables and also took a bumper that was lying in a nearby alley.

The affidavit states police said that Taylor was wearing the same clothing and shoes that he wore when detectives first saw him in the stolen truck.

Taylor was arrested on Jan. 26 as he approached the truck; he ultimately confessed to his involvement at the crime scene but blamed an alleged associate, Brad Koczot, as the person who actually cut the cables.

Police have yet to find Koczot but have a warrant out for his arrest.

The truck was actually stolen in mid-November, police said, near the intersection of Constitution Avenue and Union Boulevard.

In the affidavit, investigators said Taylor had a 9mm handgun and six grams of methamphetamine when he was arrested, police said; he also had a dump trailer that was attached to the truck.

According to arrest documents, Taylor said that he got the trailer from Koczot, the truck from a man named "Dirty" and the gun from a 17-year-old girl; he also admitted that because he believed the truck was stolen, he replaced its vehicle identification number (VIN) with the VIN from his personal truck.

Court records indicate that in 2005, Taylor pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and was sentenced to four years in Community Corrections; the documents describe him as "a multiple-time convicted felon in the state of Colorado."

Police said that the cutting caused more than $151,000 in damage and had an impact of more than $251,000 on customers.