Porn-viewing installer gets probation, fine
Friday, February 6, 2009
The resident was charged for movies he neither ordered nor viewed.
BOARDMAN — A Cathy Way man will be more cautious from now on when allowing someone into his home to do work.
Tom Johnson let a man who worked for a satellite dish installation company into his home last July to install a system. A few weeks later, he noticed a charge on his bill for two pornographic movies.
David Kelly, 23, of Old State Route 558, Salem, was fined $150, given one year’s reporting probation and ordered to complete counseling and pay $85 in costs after pleading no contest to and being convicted of misdemeanor counts of theft and criminal mischief.
He was accused of ordering the pornographic movies and masturbating at the Cathy Way home where he was installing the system. His conviction was last September in Mahoning County Court.
Kelly, who couldn’t be reached, worked for Digital Dish, a Millersburg, Ohio, company contracted by satellite dish companies to do installations. A company spokeswoman said Kelly is no longer an employee.
Johnson’s satellite system was through Dish Network, and the movies showed up on his bill.
Tom Johnson said that Kelly was at his home July 9 when Kelly installed the network on a television in his basement.
“My wife and I were at home, sitting in the living room while he was working,” Johnson said.
When he got the first bill, Johnson was charged $10.99 for “Club Jenna” and $11.99 for “Fresh” — two pornographic films that Johnson and his wife had neither ordered nor viewed.
He contacted the company and disputed the charges.
Because the television where Kelly did the work is in the basement, Johnson didn’t discover the drops of suspected bodily fluid on it until a couple of weeks later. That’s when he reported the incident to police, who took samples for testing. Those results haven’t been returned yet.
Township detective Ben Switka contacted Kelly after tracking him down through the satellite and installation companies, and Kelly visited the police station for an interview.
Kelly admitted the acts, Switka said, and was charged with the two misdemeanors.
Johnson said the incident has changed the way he’ll treat people working inside his home.
“I’ve always been pretty trusting of people,” he said. “You think when a major company sends someone to your house to do work that you can trust them.”
From now on, he’ll ask more questions when someone comes to do work. He urges others to do the same.
Johnson said the episode caused him to drop the satellite service and go with cable.
“I switched to Armstrong,” he said
I always worried about those dishnet guys
Member #: 50581
Registered: 1/23/2007
Posted:
201
Name:
mark rennie
Name:
Mark Rennie
Company:
none
Occupation:
physical therapy patient
Location:
sittin' in the house, on the mend
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