A 32-year-old woman, Krystal Lynn Cruz, has been arrested in Guam for stealing power from the Guam Power Authority (GPA). The arrest follows an investigation into utility theft at a residence in Chalan Pago dating back to October of last year.
Police responded to reports after GPA employees noticed the meter at Cruz’s home had lost contact with the control center. Upon inspection, a GPA employee discovered the meter box was tampered with and the meter itself was missing. Despite the meter’s absence, power was still running to the house because the electrical wiring had been rerouted to bypass the meter’s mechanisms.
According to court documents, the wires were spliced together to divert electricity around the meter. This was not the first time the residence had been found tampering with its power meter or had been disconnected due to non-payment, said the GPA employee.
When police recovered the missing meter and box, they confirmed the tampering. Cruz was arrested on Sunday after an officer recognized her from the ongoing theft of utilities case.
Cruz is now charged with third-degree felony theft of utilities, with a special allegation of crimes against the community, as well as theft of property and criminal mischief.
