Police say a New York man tampered with a Mahanoy City hydrant to bathe at a house he claimed to own — believing it was allowed because that’s what he was used to in New York.
Now, he’s facing charges for opening the hydrant.
According to court documents, police in Mahanoy City say they received a call from a borough Code Enforcement officer shortly before 10 a.m. on Aug. 17. The officer said that people had moved into a home in the Liberty Hill area without permits to be there.
Code enforcement also reported a yard fire and an unauthorized use of a fire hydrant.
Police say they arrived on the scene and say they found that someone had tampered with a nearby hydrant. Metal shavings were found around the stem nut and the stem nut was slightly rounded. Deep gouges were also noted in the five-inch aluminum cap and connector.
At the scene, police say they spoke with a man who said it was his friend who had opened the hydrant because they thought it was OK. That’s what they did in New York, he said.
The man said they opened the hydrant because water had been shut off to the house they’d just purchased and they wanted to bathe.
At a little before noon, the man who spoke with police earlier brought Corte Clever, 42, of Elmhurst, New York, to the police station. Clever allegedly admitted that it was he who opened the hydrant.
Police have charged Clever with tampering with fire apparatus, a third-degree misdemeanor, and opening a fire hydrant, a summary offense.
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