SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — A woman who told WREG teens stole her electric meter from her home is moving because she doesn’t feel safe in her neighborhood.
Investigators said 18-year-old Bryan Chapman and his younger brother used the meter at a vacant home down the street.
Officers said the teens were using the electric meter at a vacant home on Braden Drive.
A spokesperson with MLGW said it isn’t uncommon to still meters from homes.
Cynthia Williamson thought there was a power outage in the area when she returned home Tuesday morning, and her electricity was out.
By the time she called Memphis Light Gas and Water to see what was going on, that’s when she noticed a broken window.
“I saw they had pulled the bar off my window in the bathroom, and so I called police. They came out, and that’s when they noticed the meter was missing,” she said.
Williamson said a neighbor told officers they found the stolen meter down the street at the vacant home on Braden Drive.
Officers said Bryan Chapman and his brother were using it to charge electronics.
Investigators said Chapman and his brother ran out the house, but they eventually caught up with them.
“It’s just sad; you can’t live comfortable. Like I go to the mailbox with my pistol and that’s bad,” Williamson said.
Gale Jones Carson with MLGW said there were at least 8,500 cases of utility theft this year; 11,000 last year.
She said although the numbers are down, it’s still a problem.
She said despite the controversy over smart meters, they would help in cases like this.
“Once the smart meters are completely installed, we will be able to detect utility theft much quicker,” she said.
MLGW installed a smart meter at Williamson’s home. Williamson said she’s still nervous about living there; that’s because investigators said they found several other stolen items inside the vacant home.
Williamson said Chapman and his brother took her neighbor’s groceries and TV.
“I don’t know if they were squatting, but they was going around breaking in everybody house to get the things they needed,” Williamson stated.
MLGW said the company has an area that investigates utility thefts.
They said at least one chronic case is sent to the District Attorney’s office every week.
