Power Shut-Off Trims Haircut Session

It was an unlucky customer of The Old West Barber Shop in Airway Heights who didn’t have anywhere to go after power to the shop was cut off, said Wayne Ward. Ward was trimming his customer’s hair when the power was shut off by Inland Power and Light.

“This fellow had to spend the rest of that day and night with half a haircut,” Ward said.

The barber shop’s electricity is connected to the rental office of The Fairview Heights Trailer Court, just off Highway 2. Inland Power shut off the electricity to the rental office and three trailers because payments were late, the utility said.

But Charles Thompson, manager of the trailer park, claims the power shouldn’t have been shut off. He said Inland Power knew the trailer park’s former manager is under investigation in connection with the alleged disappearance of money from trailer park operations.

Some of that money included residents’ utility payments, Thompson said.

The power was restored later in the afternoon after Thompson delivered a hefty payment to the utility company. However, Inland Power representative Kris Mikkelson said she wasn’t aware of any explanation concerning the previous manager’s activities.

“There had been numerous phone calls and numerous letters,” Mikkelson said. “Those folks were well aware they were going to be disconnected.”

Sheriff’s detective Don Olson confirmed that the former manager, Catherine Scott, is under investigation in connection with possible mismanagement of funds during her four-month tenure there.

Scott hasn’t been charged with a crime, Olson said.

Thompson acknowledged that Fairview Heights Trailer Park owed $5,000 in back utility payments. But Thompson points at Scott for the explanation.

“Inland Power knew what was going on with us,” he said. “They just started shutting the power off.

“I just took them a check for $600 and $800 before they shut the power off,” Thompson added.

Chris Johnson was one of the residents whose power was shut off.

“They should have worked with us. I told the guy I had kids in the house,” said Johnson, running his hands through his hair.

“I was scared for how I was going to cook for my kids, bathe my kids. … Have heat. As it was, it was off half a day, but they could have left it off forever.”

, DataTimes