A man is facing several charges after police say he plugged an extension cord into his neighbor’s house and stole their power.
James Patrick Hill, 51, is charged with trespassing, larceny and destruction of property for allegedly stealing power from a house next to his in the 100 block of Sand Hill Road, James City County Police Deputy Chief Steve Rubino said.
Rubino said Hill ran the extension cord from the neighbor’s house to his multiple times before the neighbor told police.
The cord was first noticed by a passerby on June 30, then subsequently removed, Rubino said. The neighbor does not live in the house, he added.
After the cord was disconnected, Hill then allegedly went back to the house and plugged the extension cord in again, Rubino said.
The homeowner filed a police report on Aug. 21 after the issue did not stop, according to an online incident report.
There was no evidence to indicate how Hill entered the home, although Rubino confirmed Hill would have needed to go inside to plug in the cord. Police say Hill also damaged a crawl space vent while he was running the extension cord to his house.
When police asked Hill about the incident, he said he did not have power at his own house.
The value of the electricity he is accused of stealing is valued at less than $200, Rubino said.
Hill was issued summonses for trespassing, larceny and destruction of property. He was scheduled to appear at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Williamsburg-James City County General District Court.
