(a) "Customer" means the person in whose name a utility service is provided.
(b) "Divert" means to change the intended course or path of electricity, gas, or water without the authorization or consent of the utility.
(c) "Person" means any individual, partnership, firm, association or corporation.
(d) "Reconnection" means the commencement of utility service, other than by a utility, to a customer or other person after service has been discontinued by the utility.
(e) "Tamper" means to rearrange, injure, alter, interfere with or otherwise to prevent from performing normal or customary function.
(f) "Utility" means any "public utility" as defined in K.S.A. 66-104 and also includes any electrical, gas or water system operated by any public agency.
(g) "Utility service" means the provision of electricity, gas, water, telecommunication or any other service or commodity furnished by the utility for compensation.
(h) "Telecommunication service" means any telephone service or the transmission of a message, signal or other communication by telephone or telegraph or over telephone or telegraph facilities.
History: L. 1982, ch. 273, § 1; July 1.
(a) Diverts, or causes to be diverted, utility services by any means whatsoever.
(b) Makes, or causes to be made, any connection or reconnection with property owned or used by the utility to provide utility service without the authorization or consent of the utility.
(c) Prevents any utility meter, or other device used in determining the charge for utility services, from accurately performing its measuring function by tampering or by any other means.
(d) Tampers with any property owned or used by the utility to provide utility services.
(e) Uses or receives the direct benefit of all, or a portion, of the utility service with knowledge of, or reason to believe that, the diversion, tampering, or unauthorized connection existed at the time of the use, or that the use or receipt, was without the authorization or consent of the utility.
(f) Publishes the number or code of an existing, canceled, revoked or nonexistent telephone number, credit number or other credit device or method of numbering or coding which is employed in the issuance of telephone numbers, credit numbers or other credit devices under circumstances evincing an intent to have the telephone number, credit number, credit device or method of numbering or coding used to avoid the payment of a lawful charge for any telecommunication service, or knowing or having reason to believe that the same may be used to avoid the payment of any such charge.
(g) Obtains credit for or purchases any utility service by the use of any false, fictitious or counterfeit telephone number, credit number or other credit device, or by the use of any telephone number, credit number or other credit device without the authority of the person to whom the number or device was issued, or by the use of any telephone number, credit number or other credit device knowing that such number or device has been revoked.
(h) Avoids the lawful charges, in whole or in part, for any utility service, by the use of any fraudulent scheme, device, means or method.
History: L. 1982, ch. 273, § 2; July 1.
History: L. 1982, ch. 273, § 3; July 1.
(a) Any instrument, apparatus or device primarily designed to be used to obtain utility service without paying the full lawful charge therefor.
(b) Any meter that has been altered, tampered with or bypassed so as to cause no measurement or inaccurate measurement of utility services.
History: L. 1982, ch. 273, § 4; July 1.
The utility may, in the same action, seek damages for any of the acts specified in K.S.A. 66-1602.
(b) It is not a prerequisite to an action pursuant to this section that the utility has suffered or been threatened with monetary damages.
History: L. 1982, ch. 273, § 5; July 1.
History: L. 1982, ch. 273, § 6; July 1.