On September 6, officers and the electric company were investigating a residential meter in Ellwood that had been tapped into.
Bob Villella gave the following information about the electric companies investigation, “the Ellwood City Borough Electric crew was reviewing the TIP Report which is generated from the Borough Utility Software. The TIP report identifies that a meter was pulled and is inactive and if there is activity then it identifies new usage compared to the period when it was pulled. This process requires crew members going to each listed address on the report to check meter status. Our crew checked the meter of this particular location and identified that the meter was off and “Red Sealed”. Also, the crew identified that the seal had been cut and the insulating shut off sleeves installed at the time of service termination and which prevent power from being used were also removed. The resident was illegally gaining access to power. Once identified the crew cut the wires at the pole and then notified the Police who took appropriate action.”
The suspect is a 46 year old Ellwood resident who supposedly leeched “free” electric for over a month in the estimated amount of 2,000 kilowatt hours.
He will likely be charged with theft of over $200.00 stolen from the borough.
Maybe people wouldn’t resort to this if this community didn’t steal people’s money.
guess that’s what happens when the town’s electric rates are insane.
I can totally understand why people resort to this…desperate times….Ok Ellwood Borough….do you get it now???? What next?, mass exodus ???? don’t blame the guy one bit !!!!
How much money did it cost to do such a thorough investigation? I imagine a lot more than 200 dollars. Good Job. This is a great way to allocate resources. All you did was slander someone who was smart enough to pull a mission impossible type heist. I would love if you interviewed him, he probably redid his basement and had to remove the meter and the spike was because of a new sub panel and Johnny Law wants a medal. Who’s “stupider”?
I can’t blame the guy either! I don’t condone stealing. However, in my opinion, borough electric customers are being stolen from on a continual basis with this dog and pony show of an electric company! I said it before and I’ll say it again, if Ellwood wants to operate an electric company, it should operate like a company! Residents are paying the high salaries of the “company” employees. The employees should be available daily 9-5 with limited hours on Saturday. Some like to pay their bills in person to ensure payment was received. Some may purchase a house and need to get electric turned on or transferred. All of this is very simple with other utility companies, not so with Ellwood Electric! I think it’s time for some resignations!