JENNINGS, La. (KLFY) — A Jennings man was arrested Monday after deputies discovered he was using an illegal box to bypass an electric meter and steal thousands of dollars worth of electricity, authorities said.

David Carl Trahan, 61, of Jennings, was charged with felony theft, according to Chief Deputy Christopher Ivey of the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were alerted by a Jeff Davis Electric employee who discovered an illegal connection, authorities said. Jeff Davis Electric reported the residence’s electric service had been cancelled in 2021, and told the JDPSO the unauthorized connection accumulated over $5,000 in stolen utilities.

Ivey said Trahan admitted to the theft of service and told deputies a friend of his rigged the meter box with steel plates to connect the house’s electricity. 

Trahan was arrested and booked into the parish jail for felony theft. Bond was not released.