The utility discovered a stolen electric meter had been illegally connected to the rental home where the family was living since November. The meter was disconnected for safety reasons on March 25, spokesman Matt Likovich said.
Rodney Todd and his two sons and five daughters then used a generator for power. They were last seen alive on March 28.
Todd, a 36-year-old divorced kitchen worker, were accidentally poisoned by carbon monoxide from the gas-powered generator they were using to keep warm after their electricity was cut off, Princess Anne Police Chief Scott Keller Tuesday.
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106 comments:
The problem is why he had to steal electric especially since he was already getting shore up assistance i say that its due to the increase of electric bills that are only going to continue to rise due to the monopoly MD power company's are doing as joe posted earlier they are closing coal fire plants down which will within 10 year Triple electric bills then what OBAMA?
So why wasn't a legitimate meter installed and service restored?
Because no one at DPL cares what happens to children?
I wonder... by law... isn't the electric company OBLIGATED to supply electric to an occupied dwelling?
See they were not cut off for non payment... just cut off.
Can you for a moment, imagine what this father had to go thru, with a house full of kids, to figure out how to get electric to the house.
As far as I am concerned the Electric company is solely responsible. See if they had done their job and REPLACED the meter, we would not have a dead family now would we.
They keep making excuses like... gee we remove fraudulent meters... they just do not finish the sentence.... and we leave you without power and left up to your own devices to figure out how to survive with a house full of children.
Sue the monopoly bas-turds.
If it was an old meter of the type that they had been removing to put in the new smart meters - the safety line is BS!
The stolen meter essentially means that they were stealing electricity...not that it means less of a crime was committed - the power company should have notified the authorities before removing the meter.
The power company is trying to cover it's butt for being an @$$hole!
The moral of the story is, Don't steal, and all will be well.
I agree. Delmarva Power has some responsibility here. By the way, it was a smart meter.
Who owns the house?
Wow...I'm shocked everyone bad mouthing Delmarva Power. I have no relationship whatsoever with the electric company other than may bills (just so it's clear). If someone stole something from you, wouldn't you take it back? He is a grown man and able to make his own choice. He made a bad one and unfortunately, the end result. So very unfortunate, just awful. But can't blame an electric company. You can go right to Social Services and with children, they would of hooked it up that same day!!!!!
Unfortunately the father decided to buy a generator rather than call the electric company and establish a legal account. Bad decision and very sad.
Blaming delmarva power is foolish. They broke no laws...it appears the father did.
Delmarva Power aren't social workers. Why would they have a duty and "knock on the door, and ask them "hey did you steal that meter"? They didn't die from "freezing to death". Sadly, they died from father choosing to put a generator in the house. STILL, REGARDLESS, horrific!! God bless that family!
Stealing electricity is no different than stealing anything else. The reason those people are dead is because some idiot ran a generator in the kitchen. There I solved the case for you. Your welcome.
12:12 how do you know he didn't use a borrowed generator? Have you even thought that the landlord may have been involved in placing the fraudulent meter?
it wasn't the fact that he used a generator. it was that he had the generator IN the house. very poor decision.
12:08 who does own the house? Was it a rental? Is the landlord required to install detectors? Fire and Carbon - anybody know?
The previous tenants turned their service off when they moved out. The new tenants moved in, but never applied for service. DP&L doesn't know who moves in and out For all they knew, the house remained empty. In March, DP&L finds out the meter on the house is illegal. They cut off service because it is a safety issue. I don't know why they didn't contact the tenants or the owner of the house. I'm not sure, if someone is stealing electric, they have the legal obligation to do so. Mr. Todd, instead of calling the electric company and setting up a legal account, buys a generator and sets it up INSIDE. Horrible tragedy, no one can deny it. I'm sure he was a good father and doing all he could for the kids. He just didn't act with any intelligence. But again, there has to be some sort of personal responsibility. People cannot continue to hold everyone else accountable for their own or someone else's failures.
Probably kept the generator inside so it wouldn't get stolen.
electricity is not a right, why is the power company coming into this, they obviously had family, where were they, this is a tragedy don't blame dpl
Don't blame the electric company who stopped someone from STEALING their electricity, blame the moron who ran a generator in a house full of kids. I feel sorry for children who are doomed by their parent's poor decisions.
OK so if this family had been dead since March 28th and was only discovered April 4th why didn't the mother get suspicious if she didn't hear from her children in all that time ?
As for the power my bet is that when he moved into that house in November he discovered the power was still on and since it never got cut off he figured he would ride that out as long as he could and spend the money on other things.
Granted buying a Generator over getting electricity setup at his house was not a wise idea.
Whats also interested is that most land lord require proof of having electricity activated in the lease holders name before you can move into a rental home.
I suspect that Delmarva Power refused to put electric back on at the house until all the money that was owed from November until they cut it off was payed back.
I have known people before that had their electric cut off due to non payment and Delmarva power refused to turn it back on in someone else's name unless the bill was payed up or they could prove the person who ran up the bill was no longer living at the residence.
Generators do not belong in the same place as where people live! Common sense people. He should have taken the money to see what he could have done about legal electric. Yes this is very sad about the family but do not blame this on the electronic company
so what if he had "borrowed the generator". All that was his choice!!! as sad as that is...I too wouldn't of known about the carbon monoxide potential poisoning.. But still he is a grown man with access to electric bill help as he did in 2014. He didn't ask for help this year, most likely due to the "stolen meter". When he found that meter was removed, go right down to Energy Assistance (with kids, it is immediate that they give you electricity). Same day! I've seen it done! He knew in 2014 the "energy assistance" was available. Why didn't he take that route again this year... Likely cause he didn't need to, he had a stolen meter and "FREE" electricity.
This is a very sad story no matter how you slice it.
12:47 Said " I don't know why they didn't contact the tenants or the owner of the house. "
I have had Delmarva Power try to switch us to Smart meters without even telling us they were on the property. One day my brother saw someone in our yard and questioned him. He said he was there to switch the meter. This guy was going to swap out the meter without notifying us.
Just last week Delmarva Power upgraded my meter (It still isn't a smart meter) when I wasn't home. I have a server and 4 PCs running and they just cut the power to switch the meter without informing me directly.
I came home and found all of my systems were shut down improperly. One PC would not even boot properly due to the sudden lose of power. Good thing I didn't have an elderly person living there who relied on Oxygen or something like that.
Bottom line is Delmarva power will just walk up to your house and do as they please without any prior consent.
I have a friend who disconnects electricity for Choptank. She is threatened!!!.....Threatened for physical harm, been things thrown at her for disconnecting their electric. Yet, amazingly that afternoon, she had to go back and turn it back on. Now, why wouldn't they just handle that matter BEFORE it gets turned off!!!
True 12:47....This entire country wants to blame everyone else for their "bad choices". So sick of it!! Until people take responsibility for their own actions, that includes even their own health, nothing will change. It's like drug addiction, it's always someone else's fault that they are addicted. Bad childhood, etc etc. Get empowered to change YOUR OWN LIFE!!!! Accept responsibilities for your own actions. Own up to it..
his stupidity killed his kids
Has anyone proved that Mr. Todd stole the meter? It was a rental house and could have been the owner who did it. How can you steal an electric meter anyway? I didn't think anyone could get them off a house except the electric company.
Joe,
This guys criminal record is crazy!
He was convicted of Mutilating animals?? AND HAS unbelievable criminal record
He should have stopped having kids a long time ago.
It never said the renter installed the stolen meter. How do you know the landlord didn't do it? Save the judgment for the man upstairs.
11:36-I agree totally.I anticipated DP&L to go into damage control with this.A very irate & sarcastic employee removed the meter & then stormed off.Why they acted in such a manner I have no idea,because they only work for DP&L.It's their job for pete sakes.A person making really good money has no right belittling those less fortunate.
Here's the thing all of you saintly, well off, have never fallen on hard times people, 8 people are dead. 7 children are dead. Please hop off of your high horse and acknowledge this was a sad, unfortunate accident. Delmarva Power isn't at fault. Obviously things should have been done different by the dad, but obviously he thought he made a good decision. Energy assistance isn't some huge pot of money and he had a job!!! So in all likely hood he probably didn't qualify. Or if Delmarva Power required a security deposit or other fees to connect a new meter and establish an account, energy assistance WILL NOT pay for that. Kids are not a guarantee of help, they never had been. If that was the case we wouldn't have kids living with parents in tents in the woods. It's not that easy to get help. It is very easy to believe all of the "welfare queen" BS and assume people are getting assistance with things left and right. It is not true. When you haven't walked in others shoes it's so easy to sit on the other side of keyboard and talk sh*%! Having a low paying job is worse than being unemployed when needing help. Because, like many of you here, the assumption is that "you have a job, pay for it". No matter how he tried to address this problem those of you would still look down your nose. This is one sad ass world we live in when a family dies and all people can do is talk sh&%. I've never been a believer in God, but if that dude in the sky exist I hope he works on some of your souls, because I have never seen such vile mess from so called humans.
My heart goes out to the kids. Sounds like the parents weren't the sharpest tools in the shed. What idiot gets a generator and sets it up inside? Despite the multiple warning tags and paperwork? Idiot cost the life of seven little angels as well as his own. And how does one blame the power company because dude had 7 kids that he couldn't afford to take care of?
Hate to say this but the father was a real problem in the criminal system. R.I.P to the poor children....(
Actually Delmarva Power does attempt to make contact with someone inside a dwelling where a stolen meter is found just as they did with this case. No one was to be found. I imagine that is the norm because they know they have been caught with the stolen meters so aren't going to respond to a knock on the door by a DP employee.
1:18 well stated. If you have any type of means of employment you will not get any type of help. Hence this breeds generations of people who refuse to work and struggle in minimal jobs because they can get everything for free. We as a society need to start giving people a HAND UP NOT A HAND OUT. even though I am a Christian, I applaud you 1:18 for your comments which are the truth. People remember no one stated if the generator was new or borrowed. If borrowed, the tags/warnings could have been removed or illegible. During this past winter I had to call DP&L to make payment arrangements on my bill (even tho I previously paid EVERY month on time for over 3 years) the lady told me that I had to have at least 60% of my bill paid before I could enter into a payment arrangement. SO basically I had to "rob Peter to pay Paul." These decisions are real. I have been in the grocery stores and paid for elderly residents groceries just because they are telling the cashier to put this or that back because they don't have the money to pay for it. They are the ones who have paid the most and the longest into the system. I just don't get it. Don't judge until you have walked a mile in someone shoes.
1:18...You are insane. did you read people's comments. We all agreed that it is HORRIFICALLY Sad, BUT if you are looking to blame someone...it's not the electric company. He qualified LAST YEAR for electricity that was well documented, if he "made too much money" then State and Federal put those limitation on that program. So, I'm confused...who are you blaming. People are horrifically saddened by the loss of life. You just can't blame others for it!!!!!!!!!!
Because he never called to have a legitimate meter installed and service turned on. Ever.
This stealing electric is Ramped in trailer parks investigate them all.
12:06- That's the moral of the story?
God help you.
If the law says electricity cannot be cut off from Nov to Mar 31, then when Delmarva Power took the meter, which was apparently running (a BROKEN meter can't "steal" anything), they HAD to know they were "cutting the electric off" at that residence.
I'm not sure if the law has some technicalities, but I'm betting that the lawyers at Delmarva Power are praying to Satan that there ARE some....
the self-proclaimed "close to the family" had to have known he was in financial straits. why not offer to help? did no one see him take a generator into the home? why did it take so many days before the "close knit community" noticed the absence of him and his children? you can blame the electric company, and i agree, the rates are higher than they should be, but to say it is all the fault of the DPL is ridiculous.
lmclain, there is no such law.
Stolen meters can be removed at any time. As far as for non payment it can be shut off at any time, though between the period of Nov 1-Mar 31 an affidavit has to be submitted to the state regulatory agency (MD Public Service Commission) that oversees utilities. Doesn't appear as though agency has to approve the disconnect-customer rights handbook only states that the provider submit the affidavit.
If some of you bothered to read the article from WBAL, you would have read this:
"What is known is that Todd bought a generator to keep the lights on." stop debating on whether it was new or borrowed etc. Poor decision to run it indoors.
So, if you discover someone has run an extension cord out of their window, across the ground and plugged into your own electric, are you going to just leave it there, or are you going to unplug it?
True,but why did he steal electric? Big buisness.
5:52...glad I said "if", huh?
And I still think the lawyers are sweating bullets right now.
I feel very sad for these children, but I find it extremely hard to find pity for the father. The father is a convicted felon with many charges. He may be a "good" father compared to the mother. The mother must have been a crackhead in order for the father to get one of the children. Court records also state that one of the children wasn't his so I commend him for raising someone elses child.
Proof of the fact that he is a criminal thug is the fact that he stole a meter and stole electricity. Where did he steal the meter from? What happened to the electricity at their house?
Anyone who blames the electric company for this incident is a complete and total moron. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOLKS. Half of you people who are the ones saying they want less government, less oversight, less big business in their lives are the same ones wondering why those entities don't step in to miraculously solve all problems.
I own PepCo stock. He was stealing from me, and all the other thousands of PepCo stockholders. For those that don't think the utility company has the right to stop someone form stealing their product; how would they feel if their neighbor ran a cord over to their house and was stealing their electricity for , say, their A/C on 100 degree days? Should they have to call someone, or ask anyone's permission to unplug the cord from their house to stop the theft? I'm sure they would think not; that it is their right to stop the theft of their property, and that they do not need anyone's "permission".
Some people will always think it is ok to steal, depending on the circumstances, UNLESS ITS THEM THAT ARE BEING VICTIMIZED!
But that doesn't minimize the fact that this is a tragedy of epic proportions, that was totally avoidable on the tenant's part. All done to deprive the utility company of what was rightfully theirs.
Anonymous said...
I wonder... by law... isn't the electric company OBLIGATED to supply electric to an occupied dwelling?
See they were not cut off for non payment... just cut off.
Can you for a moment, imagine what this father had to go thru, with a house full of kids, to figure out how to get electric to the house.
As far as I am concerned the Electric company is solely responsible. See if they had done their job and REPLACED the meter, we would not have a dead family now would we.
They keep making excuses like... gee we remove fraudulent meters... they just do not finish the sentence.... and we leave you without power and left up to your own devices to figure out how to survive with a house full of children.
Sue the monopoly bas-turds.
April 8, 2015 at 11:45 AM
No they are not responsible. You are saying since I buy my new house and move in and occupy it Delmarva Power is obligated to supply me with electricity? Bullshit. They are obligated to supply it when I pay my bill and maybe a deposit. They also tell me when it will be turned on(supplied).
You must be someone that owes Delmarva Power overdue bills.
Yes I can't stand the utility companies either. They are always overcharging me, but you can blame that on yourself for voting for a damn Democrat. Your Democrats voted for Deregulation and that allowed Delmarva Power and other utility companies to raise their rates. Think about that every time you vote for anyone with a "D" beside their name. Vote only Republican no matter who the person is. Vote Republican.
Removing the electric meter didn't cause their death!!!!!!!!! They didn't freeze to death, it wasn't cold enough for that. Carbon Monoxide poisoned them!! The father's choices caused their own death. SAD SAD SAD!! If people think electricity is free, please sign us all up.
2:54-Don't be so sure of what you read. I think they got the story from his mother and step father who were also under the impression the electric was turned off due to non payment. As it turns out we know that wasn't the real story. The media is only reported what they are hearing from family/friends. We don't know where the generator came from until we hear it directly from an official statement by those involved in the investigation.
Anonymous said...
12:08 who does own the house? Was it a rental? Is the landlord required to install detectors? Fire and Carbon - anybody know?
April 8, 2015 at 12:44 PM
You are an idiot!! Don't you read the storys!!
I am not well off. I have had to ask for assistance. I have had to borrow money. But one thing I can say is that I wouldn't have stolen a meter and hoped for the best, especially since there are other available means. I think the cost of all utilities are significantly high and that pisses me off, but it is not their fault that I sometimes have difficulty. And, I don't think the landlord installed the meter. The house is owned by the Gilkerson, I think I read. Do you think that business would have risked a lawsuit and jail time over a meter? I doubt it. But, if so, then blame the landlord, not the power company.
1:00 PM and others it is "paid" not "payed."
lmclain, maybe not sweating bullets but surely looking over paperwork and timelines to make sure proper procedure was followed.
I don't know what more DP&L could have done, after removing the meter which is their property. As far as trying to notify any occupants of the home, they were removing the meter because it was stolen, that puts the company employees in the position of law enforcement which can be a danger to employees.
But as 3:56 said-removing the meter didn't cause the deaths. The negligence involved was caused by the father, so even if it did turn out that DP & L didn't have all their i's dotted and t's crossed they will get fined but any lawsuits filed against them would find the way to the circular file for lack of any legal basis to hold them responsible.
Anonymous said...
Has anyone proved that Mr. Todd stole the meter? It was a rental house and could have been the owner who did it. How can you steal an electric meter anyway? I didn't think anyone could get them off a house except the electric company.
April 8, 2015 at 1:11 PM
So you are trying to blame the landlord for someone elses stupidity!
I bet you voted for Obama didn't you!
The father was an uneducated idiot trying to cheat the power company. Only would an idiot run a generator in a living space.
People are forgetting the real point here. NO electricity didn't cause their death. Their father did!!! or whoever chose to put a generator in the middle of the kitchen!!!! no electricity didn't cause their death! If the electric was still off as of today, (and no generator) ...they would all still be alive~!!!!!!!
Here is another argument. If the power company didn't pick up on the stolen meter and they let them continue with it and it just so happened to catch on fire and caused the death of all 8 people, are they then liable!!!!
I'm sure some would say that they were, the people who want something for nothing!!! As always!!!
Electricity will cost 3x more in ten years thanks to the idiot president then you will all be bitching.
all I can say is "duh".
for all you commenters.
Did Delmarva Power notify the landlord about the meter being removed? If so, you would think the landlord would have checked on the tenants to see what was being done in the house without any electricity. The father would not have had a generator in the house, had DP not removed that meter. They started the whole thing in motion.
I know that there is responsibility on both parties here. You do realize that the power company has been stealing from all of us for years? That is probably why so many people are not sympathetic to them. I had a $ 900.00 electric bill in January. I have family who like me are working their butts off but have no heat. My bill was almost 3/4 of month's salary for me.
744 yes thats my issue.
Chris Gilkerson ownes the house. I don't think carbon monoxide detectors are required when you rent a house.
I have read comments and stories all over the internet about this. Some idiot was trying to blame Andy Harris for this. I have no idea how that came about. If Im not mistaken that area is under Mathias not Harris.
Lots of random thoughts here - still a tragic event.
8 So when DPL passes on the cost of the stolen electric to you - that's okay I guess. For all you know DPL might have tried to notify the tenants when they took off the stolen meter - wouldn't Dad have been at work & the kids at school? How would DPL even know who to contact they were not a customer. Choptank changed out our meter while I was home and I only found out about it because the lights went off and then right back on - I thought it was a power failure until I saw the truck outside and walked out t ask what was going on.
* Don't know DPL to turn off power at night - been threatened with a Choptank cut off for an overdue bill and was told it was a daytime cutoff and turn on.
* Generators aren't cheap - if Dad could buy one he could have paid for the electric to be turned on. Last summer there were all kind of PSA's and commercials warning not to run generators in the house or without proper ventilation due to the carbon monoxide hazard.
* No one noticed 7 kids missing from the neighborhood? I notice when I don't see my neighbor for a day. No one went to check on them for a week - where is social media - I thought all kids were plugged in all the time either texting or tweeting. None of their friends missed them ? Not that finding them earlier would probably have done an good.
* Lots of people to "blame" but it seems to fall back on Dad's poor decision to run a generator in the house. Remember if DPL is sued the costs will be passed on to their other customers.
* When I was a renter - landlords had to provide smoke detectors guess they will now be "required" to provide co2 detectors too.
* Obviously this is all Obama's fault - he didn't give everyone free electricity or CO2 detectors, to go with their free cellphones, medical, food stamps etc.
7:44 If you had a $900 electric bill, for one month, you used a LOT of electric. If it's because you have a huge house, or haven't insulated, or taken serious measures to curtail electric use, that's nobody else's fault.
PEPCO shareholder.....nobody cares what you think.YOU are part of the problem in this country where money is more important than life or in this case,lives.People suck in general but people with any wealth are almost always shallow cold blooded people.
Looks like all 47 of WBOC viewer's have made a comment.
Wages in this area are pathetically low. Lots of people live in older houses with poor insulation and inefficient old furnaces. I can see how someone could be careful and still end up with a huge electric bill in the winter (a 40 day billing cycle by Delmarva Power does not help). Ask your neighbors how much they paid this winter. I am just grateful that I have power through Choptank and not Delmarva Power. They are much easier to work with.
He stole power for an extended period of time. Fuel is required to produce electrical energy. Fuel cost money as well as maintenance of distribution systems. No company can exist without covering cost. So we all have paid for his use of electrical energy.
Maybe those of you who think delmarva should have let him continue to have free service should have an increased rates to cover those cost. The rest of use would have a reduced bill.
Once again the gene pool will clean it's self if not disrupted.
stolen meters happen more than you would think, it is NOT that hard to accomplish. especially for career criminals
I care what Pepco Shareholder thinks and so does the rest of working America! Blame the father's poor decision or yet blame yourself. Don't blame people because they have worked hard and instead of buying fake nails and ridiculous other superficial things (all for show boat with some population) yet he chose to invest his earning. Yes, earnings!!! Work people!
different reason for the cutoff doesn't really exonerate dp&l.
no one knows that "he stole power". I read the meter had "NEVER BEEN TURNED on".
They shouldn't be allowed to turn off power until after 3/31, regardless of the reason.
No 8:17 That is NOT what you read. What you read was that service was never requested to be reconnected at that address. The meter was "turned on"-by someone other than DP and was using electricity without being paid for.
WOW-8:18-regardless of the reason! My what morals you have. So it's perfectly okay in your mind for people to steal! You are the prime example of ALL that is wrong in this country!
Doesn't exonerate DP from what 8:15? They did nothing to cause the death of the family. Shutting off the electric in no way contributed to the deaths. Improper use of a generator did. If the generator wasn't used, they would still all be alive whether they had electric or not.
I don't care what you say, the electric company is second only to the hospital for having no heart. They would take the clothes off your back for $5.00. Both are nortorious with their collections and as for as customer service, there is none. Make no mistake both worship the almighty dollar.
the picture is clear as day. unsure why everyone is making it out to be more than it is. they moved into this house in november, he stole a meter to restore electric in the home (illegal) instead of calling to get it cut on and/or asking for assistance- which he knew he could get because he had gotten it many years in the past. so, he's the one that messed up. you can't steal electric. and he also is the one who put a generator in the home. he literally had no common sense.
Forget it. No one will ever be able to convince some that the person responsible for the deaths is Rodney Todd. No, he didn't mean it. It was an accident. But, he caused it. DP&L didn't cause it. Chris Gilkerson didn't cause it. Obama didn't cause it. Mr. Todd knew he didn't call DP&L to turn on service. His FB page lets everyone know he got a new "whip", which I'm sure was needed, but not as much as LEGAL electricity. Personal accountability people! That is what is wrong with society today. A family member gets shot because he pulls a gun on a cop and the cop is the bad guy. Your child gets disciplined in school, and it's the teacher's fault. You get arrested for rape and it's the woman's fault for wearing a short skirt. You beat your wife and it's her fault because she didn't have dinner on the table for you when you arrived home drunk. You become a heroin addict and it's your friends fault that you struggle with recovery because they turned their back on you. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY!!!! Learn it and live it and our community would begin to turn around. {{stepping off the soap box now}}
How come the part time mother was not in jail for lack of child support ????????
GO 9:53 AM on 4/9/15 - I AGREE WITH YOU 100%
Exactly 9:53. What I can't come to grips with is how no one missed this family for so many days. It's nuts and it's as if all of a sudden in death "family", the "mother", "friends" all come out of the woodwork for the family but weren't there for them in life!
It took his supervisor's concern to find the bodies.
Their all talking about God and prayers and it was just Easter and not one person who supposedly cared about this family even missed them for the holiday. Crazy!
"Anonymous Anonymous said...
I don't care what you say, the electric company is second only to the hospital for having no heart. They would take the clothes off your back for $5.00. Both are nortorious with their collections and as for as customer service, there is none. Make no mistake both worship the almighty dollar.
April 9, 2015 at 9:32 AM"
Well you do know it takes money to operate both an electric company and a hospital don't you?
So he had the skillset to hook up an illegal electrical meter to power a house but wasn't smart enough to not run a gas powered generator inside the house?
UMMM I'm not sure I buy that. I think the landlord may know more about this then is being said.
What motive would the landlord have for putting am illegal meter on? The tenant pays the electricity. And come on...a Gilkerson ripping off the electric company and risking his own livelihood? Not likely.
I doubt "a Gilkerson" (as you put it) is handling each and every rental. The place looks like a dump to be honest so it doesn't say much for how they allow their tenants to live. They aren't clean here which is why they've been advised by the lawyer to not talk to the press.
And some properties are rented WITH utilities included and under that type of arrangement a property management would benefit if the electric was being stolen, now wouldn't they?
I am sure the truth will come out about all of it. I don't buy the landlord/rental company theory. The meter was supposedly stolen from a nearby house, wasn't it? I just can't picture rental company employees skulking around a neighborhood to find a smart meter to install on a rental property. Doesn't make sense to me. What makes more sense is hard working Dad who cannot afford his too high electric bill due to greedy utility company and resorted to a desperate measure which later backfired.
Darwin at work.
Wow!! He ran the generator IN the kitchen? As in...the generator was sitting in the kitchen running? Ok....if that was the case, he made a decision that killed himself and 7 others. Wow...just wow. The question is....was he really that stupid? That level of stupidity borders on being unbelievable? It begs the question of whether this was accidental or murder/suicide. Even if this guy was concerned that it would disturb neighbors and prompt a call to police or that someone would steal it if he left it running outside, running a gas generator inside of an occupied building is not an option. Either way this guy gets the Darwin Award.
Ok Imclain......you hate the cops, the government, businesses, and seem to support people who get over on others. You oppose those who enforce the law but support laws that prohibit biusinesses from protecting their investments. What exactly is your deal? Not blasting you but rather trying to figure out what it is that you stand for.
I understand the house was a foreclosure bought by an investor. The meter that was been original was removed by Delmarva Power as a "safety precaution"... the investor never installed another meter because a safety inspection was required as is a fee by Delmarva Power to re-install the meter.
The costs for this is so high the renter couldn't do it.
Delmarva Power has no concern over an individual's safety and does not care about people..."the bottom line is their only concern"
The lawsuit against DP&L will be extensive.There were words exchanged when the stolen meter was removed,but so much for that.We didn't cut the power off? How so?
At least it was a peaceful passing for the kids
No, of course the power company isn't "obligated" to supply power to a building just because someone is "occupying" it, or squatting there. That's laughably ridiculous.
As a matter of fact I can certainly "imagine" what he had to go "through". The same exact thing EVERYBODY goes through, house full of kids or not! Here's the process, in full detail:
1. Call power company.
2. Set up account and pay deposit if required.
3. Arrange date for service connection.
4. Wait for lights to come on in house.
5. Use power.
6. Pay bill.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 monthly.
The electric company did their job, by taking back their stolen property. What kind of twit thinks they owe him a "replacement" meter?
Apparently the kind of twit that thinks the power company shouldn't leave people up to their own devices to figure out how to take care of themselves.
Priceless.
The power company "is" the authority when it comes to connecting to the commercial electric grid. And they do notify the occupant of the building of the pending removal.
I've never heard of landlords requiring proof that the power was switched on as a condition of the lease, but with these type of rentals, it doesn't surprise me.
if the previous tenant moved out without paying their electric bill, most any utility will refuse to provide further service there, until either the bill is paid OR the new tenant can provide documentation that the person who owed the bill no longer lives there. Easy enough to do, with a verification from the landlord.
My guess is he still owed a substantial bill from where ever they lived previously, despite energy assistance help. So instead of making payment arrangements with DPL, he decided to just steal it.
1:05 with the server and 4 computers sorry for the late response but you supposedly have all this equipment and no backup power supply? So what if there was a storm or pole hit and electricity was out, would it still be Delmarva Powers fault? Stop making up lies. Do you even know what a server is?
Pretty much sums it up.
Part of the problem - the seven kids (way too many for the man's circumstances. Gotta wonder how he got the generator.
Has anyone bothered to ask WHY Gilkerson allowed the rental to be occupied with no meter?Some of you sound pretty damn stupid because in all my years I NEVER rented a place where there I had to "pay for" a meter to be installed before moving in.And how exactly is a landlord even allowed to rent a home with no access to electricity?!?
And yes,some "investors" AKA slumlords do include electricity,some even pay for gas and/or heat and just charge the tenant more.It is not uncommon,especially with properties in low income areas.IF Mr.Todd had experience in electrical work,do you think he would have been working in a kitchen? For real?
Princess Anne needs to start licensing landlords and doing regular inspections to ensure the housing is up to code if they already don't. Half the houses in town that are rented are over 100 yrs old,with sagging floors,dirt yards,with ancient appliances from another decade that are not "green" which drives the tenants power bill and don't work properly.
Also,it disgusts me to read comments referring to how many kids Rodney had,and any other dirt they could get on him.Think of the family thats left behind,and how they feel when they see this vile crap people post.
11:06 I seriously don't know what is wrong with you people but in your attempt to shift blame you all are sounding more and more ridiculous.
Okay once more-House had a meter but no service when Todd family moved in. They never called DPL to request service be turned back on.
At this point most people's common sense kicks in and tells them Mr Todd didn't request service (nor ask for assistance as he did previously) because he or someone he knows stole the meter off a vacant property and installed it on his house he had rented.
I wouldn't know Gilkerson's if I fell over them but I am certain they aren't going to risk their business empire over stolen electricity. Get real! They didn't get successful by stealing!
Some have questioned whether Mr Todd had the knowledge to install the stolen meter. I would like to point out that ignorance will also work. You just hook it up like the one that was disconnected, as long as you aren't smart enough to realize that doing this could get you electrocuted or burn the house down.
Very well sad. I'm walking in those shoes with a low paying job. When one needs help, it's not there.
Some posts have described him as a "utility worker" which implies he had some kind of technical knowledge or ability, regarding how to steal electric by installing a stolen meter.
He wasn't. He was a kitchen/janitor/basic maintenance helper when he went to work.
Just sayin'.
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