Posted on 04/07/2015 10:01:59 AM PDT by PROCON
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (AP) — A single dad and his seven children were found dead in their one-story home, relatives said, and though officials gave no details on the cause of the deaths, the man's stepfather said he had been trying to keep the family warm with a generator after the power was cut because of an outstanding bill.
Lloyd Edwards told The Associated Press that his stepson, 36-year-old Rodney Todd, had bought the generator after the power was shut off to the home in Princess Anne, about 60 miles southeast of Annapolis on Maryland's Eastern Shore. He said those who died were Todd and Todd's two sons and five daughters.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
“But, I sure hope somebody calls and attorney and takes the electric company to task over all these children being denied basic electricity. This was not a good plan.”
I can’t believe all the posts here saying utility companies have to give free electricity! So then the rates go up for the rest of us? Or do you want a new department of free handouts handling this?
It would just be yet more socialism.
Those complaining about the utility companies better not be complaining about Obamacare or you are hypocrites. Socialism is the same, no matter the product one gets for free while another pays for their own and the other persons.
Hence, my tagline.
You’re right, they were his children. They were talking about the father’s stepfather. My mistake.
Yeah, I see now.
He bought the generator, he died. It says he was the stepson, but also says the father died but mentions only the stepsons name. I don’t get it.
Maryland has the MEAP program: Maryland Energy Assistance. It helps people pay their electric, based upon their income and the number of persons in the house.
One of the stories about this said that the family had gotten assistance last year, probably MEAP, and evidently had not applied this year.
Also, DelMarVa Power has a Good Neighbor Energy Assistance Program that is administered by Salvation Army in Salisbury. Applicants can apply for that assistance; that money is from donations by DelMarVa Power customers.
The MEAP program is run by the state through county offices; the churches help people pay for various expenses and/or refer them to MEAP or could apply for the Good Neighbor funds.
Will Al and Jesse march over unfair utility practices?
***
Please don’t give them any ideas.
I saw a story on this last night on Baltimore TV. When I heard a bit of news today on the radio, a Baltimore station’s report on it ended with a statement that some are “outraged” that this family’s power had been cut off.
I don’t know anything about generators — the DH is in charge of all the boy-type stuff — but I saw one recently on sale locally for $250.
Sad. RIP.
yeah--the fire department came to our house... let us grab a few things, our doggie and then we went to a hotel...
It looks like that is what they are going to do.
Shameful.
But I feel sympathy for this man. I can’t bring myself to be uncharitable without knowing more about this...many of us know you can’t run an internal combustion engine indoors, but as others postulate, the man may not have much education or commonsense.
And I wouldn’t castigate him for having seven kids. I had six kids in my family, and granted, my parents probably wouldn’t have had us if they hadn’t been able to provide for us, but we we don’t know this guy’s story.
There is a lot we don’t know about this guy, and the story does seem strange. How can you buy a generator if you can’t pay your electric bill? It may have been hot, or someone might have sold it to him cheap or even bartered for it. For all we know, he might have thought he could catch a few winks with the electric heaters running and get everyone to bed, but fell sound asleep and didn’t wake up, dooming them all.
I read a little more about him, and yes...he was problematic. He had altercations with his ex-wife that ended up with him doing time in jail for assault and battery, and apparently had an anger problem. That is a couple of pretty grievous negatives.
But the wife who he divorced either didn’t want the kids or he wanted them badly enough to fight for him, and by all accounts he was trying to raise them. (makes one wonder what kinds of things he and his ex-wife fought about) I have to give the guy a degree of respect.
He may not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer if he was running a generator in his house, but in a community where it is rare for men to care for their kids, rarer still to marry, and rarer still to want to raise them as a father...I just have to think that community could use more men like him.
"...“The mother left, not only the seven kids by Rodney, but she left her oldest son with him as well,” Hardy said. “She abandoned him and the kids.” Todd served 16 months behind bars for assaulting his wife in a domestic dispute, Hardy said. Upon his release, “he came home, caught her in bed with another man, and the man was abusing the kids. He took his seven kids and her son and raised them on his own.”
No wonder the guy had anger problems. This woman sounds like a real peach.
It's interesting. He was working, and apparently getting some welfare, but didn't apply for utility aid, and it turns out he had an illegal meter getting power...that is probably why he didn't apply.
He couldn’t apply for aid. He had an illegal electric meter on the house...applying for aid would have exposed him.
What a condescending a**hole you are.
Seriously.
“His error apparently took all of his offspring with him; that still counts. Perhaps even more than just killing himself.”
Fair enough, thanks. I had made the same mistake as Mr. DeLong.
FO to the holier-than-thou condescending a**hole(s).
That was the first thing I thought. Why didn’t he just pay the bill instead of purchasing a generator?
I wonder how the ex-wife was making ends meet? She says she was sending him child support.
Prayers up and may all Rest in Peace.
As for the rest of you,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Delmarva's smart meter technology can tell you your usage for the period to date up to the day before by looking online. They didn't notice for 6 months that someone was using power?
Maybe whoever was supposed to shut off the power from the previous tenant didn't and the unpaid bills waited out the winter months?
What a tragedy for the family.
“I just have to think that community could use more men like him.”
I know you are well meaning, but — NO — that “community” does not need men like him. You can’t be serious. If he had lived, he would have been charged with negligent homicide of SEVEN kids!
Sounds like there are options in place for those that need it, without expanding socialism any more than we already have.
Too bad this dad didn’t take advantage of it. I know of some people that don’t want help and want to provide for themselves, which is admirable. But... there are times they ought to.
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