Consumers Energy Says It Followed Rules In Shutting Off Service To Home Where Man Froze To Death

LANSING (WWJ/AP) - A utility says it didn't break any rules when it shut off natural gas service at a Detroit-area home where authorities say a man died of hypothermia and other causes.

The Michigan Public Service Commission directed Jackson-based Consumers Energy to investigate and submit a report after the body of 69-year-old John Skelley was discovered in his Hazel Park home earlier this year.

Consumer Energy said in the report that a man identified only as Joseph, believed to be a roommate, was the payer on the natural gas bill, not Skelley.

Joseph was reportedly notified three times of an impending shut-off after not paying the bills. Consumers Energy spokesperson Debra Dodd said he owed nearly $760 and had fallen behind on a payment plan.

Service was cut on Jan. 19, and Skelley was discovered unresponsive, huddled under blankets in front of a space heater at around 8 a.m. on Feb. 1. The high temperature was 18 with a low of 2 degrees on the day he died.

A commission spokeswoman says the panel will review the report.

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