Powerline Sneaker Remover

My town has numerous examples of powerline sneakers - a pair of sneakers whose laces were tied together and thrown up there to hang forever from the powerline. (I realize in Europe they actually bury powerlines, depriving you there of this art form.) Some (namely me) don't appreciate this art form, so I invented the Powerline Sneaker Remover, consisting of a spear-like object that can be thrown at said sneaker laces, slicing them in two and releasing the sneakers back to Earth. The cunning bit is how to provide quick enough cutting action to sever the laces on a single pass, without endangering the powerline itself. The soon-to-be half-patented solution is to build the front end of the spear into a wide Y shape, like the top of a slingshot, and install anode and cathode of a plasma arc generator, creating a plasma arc between the two end points of the Y. Plasma will have no trouble slicing the laces when a good throw is made. A camera and microprocessor will detect if the device is heading for the powerline instead of the laces, and shut down the plasma before any damage accrues. An optional sensor will be soon available to be installed for detecting neighborhood cats who might be in the way on the downward trajectory.