Machinist Suspected of Stealing Power

A Simi Valley man has been arrested on suspicion of stealing $20,000 worth of electricity from Southern California Edison.

Paul H. Berg, 43, was taken into custody Tuesday after allegedly using a “jumper around the meter” to avoid paying Edison for electricity at his house on Katherine Street, Sgt. Bob Gardner said.

Berg remained in county jail Wednesday in lieu of $250,000 bail.

A machinist who operates numerous heavy-duty tools at his residence, Berg connected a “heavy-duty, multi-strand copper cable” below the spot where the power meter connects to the house, Gardner said. He ran the cable inside the wall to the attic, where it fed electricity into the house.

“He had a bypass switch he used to go back and forth” between metered power and non-metered power, Gardner said.

“It looks like he was paying for normal, day-to-day electricity use, but was getting electricity for his power tools free,” Gardner said.

The rigging had been in place for several years, Gardner said, and was sophisticated enough so that Edison workers had a difficult time finding how it had been assembled.

Police went to Berg’s house after receiving a tip that Berg was not paying for all his electricity. A review by Edison officials of the average daily electricity usage at the residence supported the initial tip, Gardner said.

Berg is on probation for a March 1995 conviction on charges of possessing a controlled substance and possessing an assault weapon.

Berg’s arraignment is set for Friday in Ventura County Superior Court.