Electric co-op: Gunshots cause $250K in equipment damage
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative says it is seeking the person or people responsible for 14 separate occasions of gunshot damage to its electric system equipment.
The incidents occurred over the past year — mostly overnight — in Ionia, Clinton and Eaton counties, according to the co-op.
“In one instance we had one location hit two different times which is interesting. They appear to be targeted and intentional damages and so they represent some pretty concerning issues, said HomeWorks CEO Chris O’Neill.
In total, leaders say the 14 incidents of gunshots have damaged transformers, regulators and other electric system equipment totaling more than $250,000 in damage, as well as electric outages for members. The company services 23,000 customers in Ionia, Clinton, and Ingram counties, according to O’Neill.
“Providing safe and reliable electricity to our members is our top priority, and we take anything that disrupts our ability to do that very seriously,” said O’Neill in a statement. “We are working with the Michigan State Police and local law enforcement agencies to put a stop to these repeated crimes as soon and as safely as possible.”
The co-op says it is offering a $10,000 reward for “information that leads to the apprehension and conviction of the responsible party.”
Because of the duration and consistency of the damage, police are investigating.
Damage is mostly done at rural locations late at night and the co-op needs your help and reporting suspicious activity.
“If they hear gunshots in these areas, specifically over night for instance, that they get ahold of us or Crime Stoppers and give us that information so that we can pursue these leads,” explained O’Neill.
If illegal activity is observed, safely call the authorities.
“We simply ask they make a phone call and make sure they are in a safe spot and that they don’t do something to confront these individuals, we don’t want that,” O’Neill said.
Not only do these incidents cause safety and power outage concerns, but oil leaks from the equipment are impacting the environment and costs are rising.
“We have to remediate that environmental impact. And then addition to that there is cost. Because we are not-for-profit member owned, all the costs that we occur will eventually get passed down to the rate payer. And in this case they are non-insurable costs, meaning they are increasing rates directly,” said O’Neill.
It’s costly to build a network to provide rural electric services.
“And adding unnecessary damage on top of it creates affordability and reliability issues that are unnecessary,” O’Neill said.
If you know anything, you’re asked to report it to Crime Stoppers of Mid-Michigan at 517.483.7867.
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