PRINCETON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Princeton man has been sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for stealing electricity from Appalachian Power (AEP) and damaging company property, according to Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney Brian K. Cochran.
Jesse Ray Counts, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts of grand larceny and one count of felony destruction of property in Mercer County Circuit Court on November 20, 2024.
He was indicted by a grand jury in February 2024.
On Monday, January 27, 2025, Judge Mark Wills handed down the maximum sentence of 3-30 years in prison.
Cochran stated that Counts had been illegally using electricity from AEP for more than four years, causing damage to the company’s infrastructure in the process.
“Mr. Counts has been stealing from the Power Company for years and has a history with at least one other local utility company, so I agree with Judge Wills in taking this case as serious as he took it because Counts’ actions have an effect on all of us who have to pay the utility companies for the services they provide,” Cochran said.
“When people steal from our local utility companies, it ultimately affects us all.”
Cochran commended the West Virginia State Police for their thorough investigation and credited his office’s staff for their role in the prosecution.
In addition to his prison sentence, Counts has been ordered to pay over $19,000 in restitution.
