News

Actions

Elderly woman's power shut off over smart meter

Posted at 10:25 AM, Sep 18, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-18 10:25:00-04

An elderly Lincoln Park woman is involved in a showdown with DTE over the meter at her house.

The utility company shut off Olga Puste's power the day after her 92nd birthday, because she installed a lock on her meter. DTE wants to install a smart meter, which Puste says is against her beliefs.

Puste is a long time naturopath and avoids things like conventional medicine and vaccines.

While she does have the option to pay $10 a month to opt out of a smart meter, DTE would still install a digital meter on her home. Digital meters are also against her beliefs as a naturopath.

DTE says they warned Puste four times before shutting off the power. They released the following statement about the situation:

With the device still in place today, after multiple notifications, DTE had to act in the best interest of the customer and the community by turning off her power. DTE's action were taken to ensure the safety of all its customers and their communities, especially those who may have unknowingly made decisions that pose a danger to themselves and their neighbors.