By Ray King
A $2,500 bond was set Thursday for a White Hall woman accused of using the name of another person to obtain utility service.
Jefferson County District Judge Kim Bridgforth set the bond for Courtney Hill, 39, after ruling prosecutors have probable cause to charge her with theft of services.
Reading from a probable cause affidavit from White Hall Police Major Mickey Buffkin, Deputy Prosecutor Holden Raines said the victim contacted White Hall Police on July 22 to report that someone had used her name and information to get gas service at an address on Robin Road. The victim said she received a past due bill for $301.68 and said she had never lived on Robin Road.
She also said the suspect, Hill, was the accounts manager for a doctor’s office and had access to patient information. The victim said she was a patient of that doctor.
Buffkin reported that police contacted the owner of the property on Robin Road and were told that the property had been leased/rented to Hill since December 2016 and Hill had been the only tenant.
White Hall Police obtained a subpoena for records from Centerpoint Energy and were told that gas service had been connected and then disconnected at the residence on Robin Road nine times between July 2018 to 2020. Nine different names were used to obtain the service and all the accounts were disconnected, leaving a balance of more than $7,200.
Hill, who said she would hire her own attorney, refused to make a statement to police.
