QuickTake:

Police said the value of the wire was only about $100, but the theft disrupted emergency call services for nine hours.

Eugene police Wednesday, Nov. 11, arrested a 26-year-old man suspected of stealing copper wire at West Second Avenue near Chambers Street. The theft caused a lengthy 911 outage last Sunday.

Dean Daniel Bryan was charged Friday, Nov. 13, in Lane County Circuit Court with first-degree criminal mischief for allegedly damaging telecommunications wiring belonging to Century Link.

Bryan is also charged with second-degree theft, with court documents listing the value of the theft as $100 or more. The Lane County District Attorney’s office filed an “enhancement facts” notice about the 911 outage. Filing of the notice could lead to a stiffer sentence for Bryan if he is convicted.

In a Friday news release, Eugene police alleged Bryan cut a bundle of 600 wires and said he admitted to the theft.

Bryan is alleged to have told police that after stripping the wires, the copper material is sold for $5 per pound to local metal recyclers.

“A few dollars in stolen metal should never come at the expense of someone’s ability to call for help,” police said. State law requires scrap-metal businesses to keep transaction records, and Eugene police in the news release said businesses disregarding the requirement or knowingly purchasing stolen materials could face “criminal consequences.”

Bryan never sold the Century Link wire, according to police, who said Bryan could be seen on security cameras taking the wires, then ditching a bundle in the bed of a Century Link service truck when police arrived. He then walked away, pushing a bicycle, police said.

The 911 outage began at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday for Central Lane 911, which serves multiple agencies in Lane County and approximately 250,000 people. Emergency phone lines were not fully restored until about 3:30 p.m., Eugene police said.

For about two and a half hours, many citizens could only text 911 to report police, fire or medical emergencies. Starting at about 9 a.m. Sunday, limited phone service returned. 

But until service returned fully, citizens were asked to report emergencies by text if possible. In all, the outage lasted about nine hours and affected hundreds of people, Eugene police said.

Springfield Police Department accepted emergency reports on its nonemergency phone number, but initially the outage knocked out Eugene Police Department’s nonemergency phone line.

Central Lane 911, a division of the Eugene Police Department, serves Coburg and Junction City fire and police departments, among other agencies.

Eugene police Friday said some callers Sunday were rerouted to outside agencies, leading to delays of up to five minutes per call.