Homeowner points gun at DTE Energy employee who attempted to disconnect electricity

Police seize cocaine, firearms from home

The DTE Energy employee was trying to disconnect the home's electricity due to an illegal hook-up when the assault happened.

PONTIAC, Mich. – A Pontiac homeowner was arrested for threatening a DTE Energy employee who tried disconnecting the home's electricity due to an illegal hook-up.

Deputies responded to the 900 block of Dewey Street Thursday on the report of a DTE Energy employee who was confronted by a homeowner armed with a handgun. 

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The DTE Energy employee attempted to contact the homeowner by knocking on the door, but there was no response from inside the residence.  

When the employee went to the electrical box that is attached to the home to disconnect the illegal hookup, a person exited the home and pointed a handgun at him.  

The person demanded to know why the DTE Energy employee was at his home.  The employee told the man that he was there to disconnect the electrical power to the residence.  

The man put the gun down and returned to the home.  The DTE Energy employee left the residence and called 911.

Deputies contacted the homeowner, who indicated that he thought someone was attempting to break into his home.  The homeowner said that once he realized what the circumstances were, he put the gun away and went back inside the home.  

Deputies asked the homeowner if they could go into the home and retrieve the semi automatic  handgun. The homeowner gave the deputies consent to enter his home.  He said the gun was in the bedroom, lying on the bed.  

Deputies entered the home to retrieve the gun and observed what appeared to be cocaine in plain view, along with a measuring scale and narcotic paraphernalia.

Deputies also located a second semi automatic handgun, which could possibly be stolen, inside of the home.  The homeowner was taken into custody and transported to the Pontiac substation to speak with detectives.

The two firearms, the suspected cocaine and the weight scale were collected and placed into property.

The suspected cocaine will be sent to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office Forensic Science Lab for analysis.  

The homeowner was lodged at the Oakland County Jail pending the issuance of criminal charges.  

Here is a statement from DTE:

"We would like to thank the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department for their prompt response to the incident in Pontiac on Thursday. The safety of our employees and the public is our No. 1 priority. Nothing is more important than our employees making it home safe and sound every day to the people who depend on them. Under a Michigan law passed in 2010, threats and assaults on utility workers are a felony, and we will not tolerate violence or the threat of violence against our employees."