Thursday, December 29, 2005
The vice squad found the suspects' thermostats set in the mid-70s.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Customers of two modern-day Robin Hoods have been receiving free water and gas, police said.
Eric Terrell -- known on the streets as "E, the hookup," bragged to an undercover officer that, for a nominal fee, he could reconnect gas, water, electricity and cable, said Lt. Rod Foley, head of the vice squad.
Terrell, 41, of Maywood Drive, designed tools to break through what utility companies thought were tamper-proof shut-off mechanisms, Foley said. "He was operating wide open."
The second suspect, William Robinson, 54, of East Woodland Avenue, also made his own tools and worked independently of Terrell, Foley said.
"It was quite well known on the streets that if you couldn't pay your bill these guys could hook your service back up for $20 to $75," Foley said Wednesday. "The utility company's computers would still show service disconnected."
On Tuesday, vice squad members used search warrants to enter the men's homes -- where the thermostats were set in the mid-70s. The houses, Foley said, "were like saunas; we had to take our jackets off."
Charges
Terrell and Robinson were booked into the Mahoning County jail and then released on court summonses. Terrell faces two counts each of theft, possession of criminal tools and tampering with a hydrant, pipe or meter, and one count of tampering with gas pipes and apparatus. Robinson faces two counts of theft and one count each of possession of criminal tools and tampering with a hydrant, pipe or meter.
Both men were arraigned Wednesday in municipal court and will be back in court Feb. 2 for their pretrials.
"This has been quite an enterprise," Foley said. "We need to send the message that this will not be tolerated."
He said the investigation continues for at least two more suspects, and police are trying to track down the people who paid for the hookups. He estimates dozens of homes in the city are getting free utility service.
The electric company, Foley said, didn't want to pursue charges, preferring to take care of the matter civilly, but the gas company and city water department are pursuing charges.
Anonymous tip
Foley said the investigation started in September when the water department received an anonymous tip from a woman who, having to pay her own bill, was upset that others were receiving water for free. The woman gave the suspect's nickname: "E, the hookup."
Illegal reconnections, Foley said, have been discovered over the years but this is the first time leads panned out.
With landlords' permission, Foley said the vice squad set up video surveillance in vacant houses and then, in a sting operation, used undercover officers to engage the services of Terrell and Robinson at the houses.
Foley said Robinson had gas at his home but no active account; he had no water service -- the pipe had been removed after service had been illegally reconnected so many times. The house had no electric service.
Terrell had gas but no active account in his name, and the water is in the landlord's name, Foley said. The house has electric service but the account needs to be verified.
meade@vindy.com