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ESPERANCE---Charles P. Myles, Esperance town justice for the past 17 years, has been convicted of tampering with an electric meter, stealing electricity from National Grid at his residential property in Sloansville, about 24 miles west of Albany.
Following a jury trial this week, Myles, 65, and his wife, Stephanie, were convicted of four counts including falsifying business records, a class E felony; and the misdemeanors of petit larceny, theft of services and criminal tampering.
They could be sentenced to serve up to four years in prison, the maximum sentence for the felony count when they are sentenced on Jan. 10. Myles is free on $500 bail while his wife is free on her own recognizance.
The utility company, formerly known as Niagara Mohawk, claims that as a result of an investigation, it was determined that Myles had allegedly stolen about $3,000 worth of electricity from October 1999 until Nov. 23, 2005.
Myles is reportedly a mechanic by trade. He has consistently denied the charges, saying that someone with a grudge against him could have placed the "jumper wires" in his electrical box and altered the wiring, or that a repairman could have left the wires. Although the utility's investigation found some type of device that allegedly bypassed the meter box and fed electricity directly into Myles' residence, Myles said he had no knowledge of it.
The utility says the wires found inside the meter box are not the type used by their repairmen.
The four-man, eight woman jury deliberated about two hours before rendering their verdict. Myles' attorneys had argued that they was insufficient evidence to prove that the Myleses had tampered with the meter.
Myles had originally been charged with felony grand larceny but a grand jury had reduced that charge to petit larceny. He was suspended from the bench by the Court of Appeals on May 2. He will now be automatically removed from office due to the felony conviction.
The case was prosecuted by special prosecutor Michael Breen after Schoharie County district attorney James Sacket recused himself. The case was heard in Schoharie County Court by Judge George R. Bartlett III.
A defense witness, owner of auto body repair shop and a friend of Myles said the judge didn't appear to know much about wiring and testified that Myles had asked him to help him last year with a wiring problem. But Breen told the jury about Myles' long history as a motorcycle mechanic and handyman and said that it wasn't "reasonable to expect….that NiMo or anyone else left those (jumper wires) in there by mistake".
Mrs. Myles' attorney argued that she knew nothing about wiring or electricity and was charged only because the property was in her name but the electric bills were in the name of her husband. She was charged on the same counts as her husband. 11-17-06
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© 2006 North
Country Gazette
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