The shouting will continue for some time, it seems...

So I stopped in to see Kevin at his bar gig on Thursday night - partially to check in, partially because Thursday had been one of those nights on a personal level that I just had no interest in going directly home to deal with the crap that awaited me there.

Kevin was pissed about the whole situation.  He's had to deal with lawyers (he may have mentioned Legal Aid representing the reprobates, but I may have misheard him).  He also told me that the electric had been shut off, but it immediately reverted back to him, so Rick (one of his go-to guys) took care of it.  My guess is that involved flipping the big switch under the meter.

So I came home at an ungodly hour that evening, but Friday I heard some major items moving in the hallway, but ignored it in a "I don't want to deal with this crap right now" kind of way.  So I went downstairs later, and found the washing machine moved around, and this:

Which that cord lead to this:

So they shuffled and unbalanced the washing machine to plug in their outlet into the apartment.  Great, says me. Quick trip down to the basement to trace cables, and....yeah, that's on my tab.

At this point, I decide I am now officially done with this crap.  I will NOT pay their electric bill.  So Saturday, morning, I went down to Home Depot and bought two lockable outlet covers, one big enough to accomodate a pair of plugs, and one that is a straight cover.  Here's the expanded cover:

And here's the straight cover:

Megan (downstairs back neighbor) came over to do some laundry, and I asked her about yesterday.  She said her sister Savannah actually was going to do some laundry, but the washer didn't work, and she was forced to move it to swap the plug, since it was in a dead outlet in that outlet box.

I put in the first cover, and then it occurred to me I should have someone watching out as I unplugged the extension cord and put on the second cover.  I walked down to Kevin's to see if he was home - he wasn't.  

As I walked toward the driveway, I was passed by Josh in his minivan.

Crap, I thought.  My window is gone. Unless I want a confrontation.  Which I might.

However, he only grabbed the mail and took off.

I recruited Megan to keep a lookout as I installed the lock.  We talked about the past history of Josh and company, including how they ran up Mary's power bill for the Christmas inflatables a few years back, and a few other choice tidbits.

I got the panel on, thanked Megan, and went out to go visit a friend.  But before I went, I printed out the NYS Penal Code 165.15 (Theft of Services) and posted it on their door, with the parts about electrical service highlighted.

As I pulled out, Josh pulled back in.  I paused for a moment around the block, then decided I had to go back, if nothing else, for the sake of my pets if he got really pissed.

Nothing.  Extension cord gone, notice gone.  So I left.

Sunday night, coming home, I got a text from Josh.  "Did you leave that note on our door?"

I pulled over.  "Yes.  Just so we have an understanding if you decide to mess with the locked electrical boxes."

"What I use it for a lite so I can see so I can pack my shit."

Bullshit, I think.  You're running your fridge.  And frankly put, I don't care.

"Use a flashlight."

I pulled into the driveway about 20 minutes later, then went over to chat with the neighbor.  They're disgusted with the situation as well, and I told them about the electrical situation.  So we'll see.

Josh's car is in the driveway, but it's quiet right now.  We'll see where it goes from here.