Har. How not to hook up your electrical

[HoosierBuddy]

My oldest is working for a power company this summer doing power line inspections. One of his coworkers found this on a non-paying customer.

Falls under the "go BIG or go home" school of stealing power.

Phil

 

[gayler]

The only two thing I can say is, HO LEE SHITE!, and WOW!

 

[ratdoggy]

Do they call the cops when they see that?

 

[Boyd]

That. Is. Insane.

 

[jd_1138]

They probably spend more on beer and smoking than what their power bill would be.

 

[nine4gmc]

at least they are color coded

 

[Boyd]

They probably spend more on beer and smoking than what their power bill would be.

Priorities, man.

 

[CNGsaves]

Not too subtle . . . huh ?? Incredible !!

 

[stihlntime]

Prolly has a meth lab inside or he could be a tool junkie paying the tool truck instead of the power company.

 

[48RON54]

I'm almost impressed by that level of half assery

 

[Lx460]

Dude has more balls than I do.

It's called theft of services and yes, it's a criminal offense. The value of the theft determines whether it's a misdemeanor or a felony.

You see this a lot when the person is trying to stay under the radar, such as a marijuana grow operation, where the increased power consumption throws up red flags. They're not usually this conspicuous however.

 

[67carl]

Let's play I Spy. I spy with my little eye... Jumper cables! The next Darwin Award winner!

 

[KRB52]

Now, just why is everybody disin' his clothes line? He couldn't afford rope, so he had this extra cable, there was a pole all ready there, he just needed something to attach to the house.

I'm wondering just what is keeping the clips attached to the wires on the house. Something has to support the weight of the wires.

 

[Jagmandave]

Wasn't there a thread on here recently about a guy looking for some extra long jumper cables?

 

[nine4gmc]

Dude has more balls than I do.

It's called theft of services and yes, it's a criminal offense. The value of the theft determines whether it's a misdemeanor or a felony.

You see this a lot when the person is trying to stay under the radar, such as a marijuana grow operation, where the increased power consumption throws up red flags. They're not usually this conspicuous however.

The pot heads would do a better job of stealing power than this example, that's clearly a meth head with the jumper cables.

 

[Outlander]

Maybe this is related to the thread asking for extra long, heavy duty, copper booster cables? (just kidding to the OP of that thread)

 

[Aceman]

They have jumper cables from the triplex to the weatherhead but there is no meter installed??? So what's the point?

Did they have some homemade jumpers in the meterbase too???

 

[bczygan]

I looked carefully at the photo, but I can't see the required ground rods.

Is it safe without them?

And what order do you hook this up in?

On second thought, I really don't want to mess with live power myself.

Besides, there's plenty of guys in the neighborhood who will hook this up for you for cheap.

 

[DenisG]

With no meter, how do they determine kW-hrs stolen? How are the criminal charges determined?

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Oh hell I know a guy who climbed the pole behind the house he was remodeling and just temped an extension cord into it so he would have power to build his house.
The ******* had it hooked up for 2 plus years like that before they caught on,Never did anything to him.

 

[CNGsaves]

With no meter, how do they determine kW-hrs stolen? How are the criminal charges determined?

Judge Marilyn calls it . . . Guesstimation for a Little Rough Justice !!

I'd say they'd get charged with average use for that time of year back when meter WAS in the meter can !!

 

[DC73]

The value of the theft determines whether it's a misdemeanor or a felony.

With no meter, how do they determine kW-hrs stolen? How are the criminal charges determined?

Historical records or, where none exist, using neighborhood averages for similar homes. In many areas, any amount of electricity theft is a felony offense.

DC

 

[Slowgsr]

When I used to do panel changes I would pull the meter and stick my extension cord in the jaws for my temp light, now with these smart meters I'm stuck doing everything live.
........kidding

 

[CJ7VFR]

at least they are color coded

Nice!

Jim

 

[Charles (in GA)]

http://www.11alive.com/news/article...-charged-with-stealing-5-cents-worth-of-juice

Electric car owner charged with stealing 5 cents worth of juice
6:53 PM, Dec 11, 2013

CHAMBLEE, Ga. -- One Saturday in November, Kaveh Kamooneh drove his Nissan Leaf to Chamblee Middle School, where his 11-year-old son was playing tennis.

Kamooneh had taken the liberty of charging the electric car with an exterior outlet at the school. Within minutes of plugging in the car, he says a Chamblee police officer appeared.

"He said that he was going to charge me with theft by taking because I was taking power, electricity from the school," Kamooneh said.

Kamooneh says he had charged his car for 20 minutes, drawing about a nickel's worth of juice. Don Francis of Clean Cities Atlanta, an electric vehicle advocacy group, says the estimate of 5 cents is accurate.

RELATED | Cobb adds 8 electric car-charging stations
READ | Georgia's oldest city adds car-charging stations

"I'm not sure how much electricity he stole," said Chamblee police Sergeant Ernesto Ford, but he added: It doesn't matter. "He broke the law. He stole something that wasn't his."


Sgt. Ford says the officer should have arrested Kamooneh on the spot. But he didn't. Instead, the officer filed a police report. Then 11 days passed, and two deputies showed up at his house in Decatur.

"They arrested me here at about eight o'clock at night," Kamooneh said.

Ford said he sought the arrest warrant after determining that school officials hadn't given Kamooneh permission to plug in his car. Ford said Chamblee Police did so without asking school officials if they wanted to prosecute the alleged theft of electricity. A DeKalb Schools spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Records show Kamooneh spent more than 15 hours in the DeKalb County Jail for plugging his car into a school's electrical outlet.

Kamooneh acknowledges he hadn't asked permission first. "When I got there, there was nobody there. It was a Saturday morning," he said.

"A theft is a theft," Sgt. Ford said. When asked if he'd make the arrest again, he answered: "Absolutely."

Wednesday afternoon, DeKalb County School District spokesman Quinn Hudson released a statement saying the school system "has cooperated in the investigation and will continue to do so."

RELATED: Read the police report and warrant affidavit here

Wednesday evening, Chamblee City Manager and Police Chief Marc Johnson issued the following statement:

We received a 911 call advising that someone was plugged into the power outlet behind the middle school. The responding officer located the vehicle in the rear of the building at the kitchen loading dock up against the wall with a cord run to an outlet. The officer spent some time trying to determine whose vehicle it was. It was unlocked and he eventually began looking through the interior after verifying it did not belong to the school system.

The officer, his marked patrol vehicle and the electric vehicle were all in clear view of the tennis courts. Eventually, a man on the courts told the officer that the man playing tennis with him owned the vehicle. The officer went to the courts and interviewed the vehicle owner. The officer's initial incident report gives a good indication of how difficult and argumentative the individual was to deal with. He made no attempt to apologize or simply say oops and he wouldn't do it again. Instead he continued being argumentative, acknowledged he did not have permission and then accused the officer of having damaged his car door. The officer told him that was not true and that the vehicle and existing damage was already on his vehicles video camera from when he drove up.

Given the uncooperative attitude and accusations of damage to his vehicle, the officer chose to document the incident on an incident report. The report was listed as misdemeanor theft by taking. The officer had no way of knowing how much power had been consumed, how much it cost nor how long it had been charging.

The report made its way to Sgt Ford's desk for a follow up investigation. He contacted the middle school and inquired of several administrative personnel whether the individual had permission to use power. He was advised no. Sgt. Ford showed a photo to the school resource officer who recognized Mr. Kamooneh. Sgt Ford was further advised that Mr. Kamooneh had previously been advised he was not allowed on the school tennis courts without permission from the school . This was apparently due to his interfering with the use of the tennis courts previously during school hours.

Based upon the totality of these circumstances and without any expert advice on the amount of electricity that may have been used, Sgt Ford signed a theft warrant. The warrant was turned over to the DeKalb Sheriffs Dept for service because the individual lived in Decatur, not Chamblee. This is why he was arrested at a later time.

I am sure that Sgt. Ford was feeling defensive when he said a theft is a theft and he would do it again. Ultimately, Sgt. Ford did make the decision to pursue the theft charges, but the decision was based on Mr. Kamooneh having been advised that he was not allowed on the property without permission. Had he complied with that notice none of this would have occurred. Mr. Kamooneh's son is not a student at the middle school and he was not the one playing tennis. Mr. Kamooneh was taking lessons himself.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/woman-says-she-unknowingly-paid-neighbors-power-ye/nkgKq/

By Rachel Stockman
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County woman says she is very upset after discovering her power meter was rigged, forcing her to unknowingly pay for her neighbors’ electricity for years.
Michelle Powell says she began receiving extremely high power bills in 2012, as soon as she bought her condo on Terrace Trail in Decatur.
“I’ve called Georgia Power so many times, I’ve called the Georgia Public Service Commission,” Powell said.
Powell says her monthly bills for her small condo ranged from $400 to nearly $2,000 a month.
“I am not going to take it anymore. I did what I had to do. I just can’t afford to pay these bills,” Powell said.
This month, Powell hired several electricians to take a look at her connections. She says that is when an electrician discovered someone had rigged her meter and used it to siphon power to other neighbors in her complex.
“No idea. I was devastated,” Powell said, adding that she was giving power to three different homes.
Georgia Power investigators are looking into the problem, but couldn’t comment specifically on her case.
“We work every day with customers to ensure that they are only charged for their actual energy use and we will continue to do so in this situation. Tampering with Georgia Power equipment in an attempt to steal or redirect power is dangerous and illegal. In partnership with law enforcement, we will actively investigate and prosecute cases of theft or vandalism,”John O’Brien, with Georgia Power Co., said in a statement.
O’Brien added that they do have investigators in touch with the condo to make sure she is taken care of and only is billed for the power she uses.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

http://www.walb.com/story/12781981/two-arrested-for-stealing-electricity-meters

Two arrested for stealing electricity, meters
Posted: Jul 09, 2010 4:01 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 16, 2010 4:13 PM EDT
By Dave Miller

By Jim Wallace

ALBANY, GA (WALB) – Two people are arrested for stealing power and water at their East Albany home. Dougherty County Police say the couple stole three power meters, and hooked one up to their home so they could get their electricity turned back on. The thieves didn't realize that meter led Police right to them.

Mitchell EMC officials say stolen power meters and metal theft is a growing problem this summer, one that's dangerous to the thieves and the community. It's also pretty dumb, because those meters have sensors in them that tell the power company when they've been tampered with, and right where they are.

Dougherty County Police arrested 28-year-old Christopher Tedesco and 32-year-old Angela Sorrell and charged them with theft by receiving and theft of services. Investigators say a couple of days ago they stole three power meters at the Suburban Mobile Home park, and hooked one of them up to their mobile home. When the stolen meter was hooked back up, Officials just let it tell them where it was.

"Our meters many a time are smarter than our vandals are," said Mitchell EMC Loss Control Coordinator Charles Gilbert.

Mitchell EMC officials say they have already had seven power meters stolen in the first week of July, about double the usual amount stolen in an entire month. They think the hot weather has crooks desperate to turn their air conditioning back on, after their power was cut off. But power officials warn these power panels have 200 amps of electricity, and one wrong move could be your last.

"It's probably 400 times the power readily available at this panel to cause, not injury, we are talking death," Gilbert said.

They say stolen power meters could also endanger others, because thieves usually leave the power lines exposed, and anyone that touches them by mistake could be killed. Officials show us what a proper vacant meter should look like.

"We come back with a particular plate that has our warning tag on it. Then of course we normally ring it up, and we put one of seals on it, with a designated number. That is a secure meter panel for us," Gilbert said.

So Mitchell EMC says stay away from electrical panels and it warns people thinking about stealing power meters to forget it. It's not only dangerous, but you can't use them to steal power because they will tell on you.

Investigators say Tedesco and Sorrell were also stealing water from Albany Water Gas and Light. They found parts of other stolen power meters in their home and stolen tools. They are being held in the Dougherty County Jail, which does provide air conditioning.

Georgia legislators included power meters in the new tougher metal theft laws last year. Stealing one is a felony, which could mean one year in jail if convicted. And Mitchell EMC says they will prosecute anyone stealing one.

 

[Uncle_Charlie]

I was accused several years back of stealing power. Never mind that my house had a meter, and my bill was always paid on time. I came home one evening from work to find that my meter was gone. After calling the power company and talking to the second shift people, they couldn't tell me why the meter was pulled. They had a guy replace it that evening and then had me call back the next day so I could talk to the day shift people who had it pulled. The day shifters explained that I wasn't using enough electricity, therefore I must be stealing it even if they had no solid evidence. Their "evidence" was that based on the age of the houses and the particular neighbourhood I live in, I should be using more. What they failed to understand is that most homes in this neighbourhood have families. I'm single. If I'm not home, there ain't much running. This happened a second time a couple years later. After giving them a royal chewing out over the phone, it hasn't happened since.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

They have jumper cables from the triplex to the weatherhead but there is no meter installed??? So what's the point?

Did they have some homemade jumpers in the meterbase too???

Yeah. They probably flattened some al soda cans and squeezed them into the meter pan jaws!

I looked carefully at the photo, but I can't see the required ground rods.

Is it safe without them?

And what order do you hook this up in?

On second thought, I really don't want to mess with live power myself.

Besides, there's plenty of guys in the neighborhood who will hook this up for you for cheap.

Yes and no.

Electrodes have several purposes and are in place to protect against several potential things that could happen including lightning, utility primary lines contacting secondary lines, etc. theyre also for limiting the line to earth voltage...

Oh hell I know a guy who climbed the pole behind the house he was remodeling and just temped an extension cord into it so he would have power to build his house.
The ******* had it hooked up for 2 plus years like that before they caught on,Never did anything to him.

Im surprised they didnt nail him.

People who need temporary power and dont want to pay for it could probably get away with it if they just setup a temporary power post with some service drop wire. It would probably go unnoticed because it looks how its normally
done.

I was accused several years back of stealing power. Never mind that my house had a meter, and my bill was always paid on time. I came home one evening from work to find that my meter was gone. After calling the power company and talking to the second shift people, they couldn't tell me why the meter was pulled. They had a guy replace it that evening and then had me call back the next day so I could talk to the day shift people who had it pulled. The day shifters explained that I wasn't using enough electricity, therefore I must be stealing it even if they had no solid evidence. Their "evidence" was that based on the age of the houses and the particular neighbourhood I live in, I should be using more. What they failed to understand is that most homes in this neighbourhood have families. I'm single. If I'm not home, there ain't much running. This happened a second time a couple years later. After giving them a royal chewing out over the phone, it hasn't happened since.

I wouldve sued their *** for all that! Thats totally ridiculous!

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Yeah. They probably flattened some al soda cans and squeezed them into the meter pan jaws! _hitti



Yes and no.

Electrodes have several purposes and are in place to protect against several potential things that could happen including lightning, utility primary lines contacting secondary lines, etc. theyre also for limiting the line to earth voltage...



Im surprised they didnt nail him.

People who need temporary power and dont want to pay for it could probably get away with it if they just setup a temporary power post with some service drop wire. It would probably go unnoticed because it looks how its normally
done.



I wouldve sued their *** for all that! Thats totally ridiculous!

 

[PugetDude]

http://www.11alive.com/news/article...-charged-with-stealing-5-cents-worth-of-juice

IMO, the majority of people who drive electric cars have a smug sense of self-entitlement that society owes them a free power plug. Case-in-point: Electric vehicle charging stations, funded by taxpayers. Why should one group of vehicle owners get free fuel at the expense of others?

 

[bgarrett]

A power company employee told me he found a stolen meter at a house and left it there....because there was hundreds of dollars owed on that meter and the new 'owners' would have to pay it!!

 

[Charles (in GA)]

IMO, the majority of people who drive electric cars have a smug sense of self-entitlement that society owes them a free power plug. Case-in-point: Electric vehicle charging stations, funded by taxpayers. Why should one group of vehicle owners get free fuel at the expense of others?

Hey, I resent that remark. Indeed, there are entitled people in all walks of life, more some places than others. I have a Nissan LEAF I leased for two years, got it a month ago. Main reason I got it is that the state is giving me a $5000 direct credit (not a deduction, but a real credit) on my state income taxes paid. Of course, I have to pay federal taxes on that five grand.

Free charging locations (paid for by the taxpayers)...... there are a few, but actually very few, at least not in the Atlanta area. Most of the free ones are businesses that own a EV themselves, and installed a charger and simply have made it available to everyone who wants to come and hang around their business for a couple of hours or more to get charged up.

Charles

 

[54FordPanel]

The only two thing I can say is, HO LEE SHITE!, and WOW!

Lol. That's exactly what I said to myself.