A Duchesne County man learned a valuable lesson this month. While he had enjoyed free power to his camp trailer for over 5 months, it turns out it is illegal to tap into a power pole’s meter box. On October 3rd, the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Starvation Lake Road on report of theft of services. Officers spoke with the owner of a camp trailer that had hooked up power to his camp trailer claiming that he had an agreement with the land owner and that the pole ran through the land owner’s meter box. Moon Lake Electric denied this claim and the property owner denied there was any such agreement. The man told the officers that he hooked up to the meter box in the spring after his generator died. The man’s job of cutting the lock and jamming a piece of metal in the meter box ultimately melted the box, resulting in a Property Damage and Destruction charge to be added to the charge of Theft of Services. The lesson here seems obvious. Never mess with power poles, lines, or boxes. While the threat of physical harm should be assumed, it is also an illegal act that can get you arrested.
