An employee with Glen Hills Utility District discovered Thursday water had been running to a residence that was supposed to have been cut off three months ago.
The employee reported he went to the Old Newport Highway residence to remove the water meter after it was locked in March for non-payment. He then discovered the shutoff valve lock had been removed and was laying next to the meter. The residence had been using water during the entire period the water was supposed to be shut off.
The employee was advised by the office to confront the suspect, who was named in the report. A payment was made by the suspect, catching up the water bill. A civil agreement was made between the parties regarding the remaining tampering fee of $500 and the water was left on at the residence.
Although an agreement was met, the Glen Hills Utility District still requested the incident be documented. The suspect told the Greene County Sheriff’s Department he had no idea how the lock was removed from the meter, and he did not take any part of its removal. When asked why he did not find it strange he still had running water after three months of non-payment, the suspect stated he was unaware of how late the bill had gotten because he is forgetful.
