BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — A Martin County man admitted in court to stealing water service after authorities said he bypassed a shut-off and restored water at his Debord home.

John Allen, 39, pleaded guilty March 5 in Martin Circuit Court to theft of services $1,000-$10,000, a Class D felony.

Under the plea agreement, Allen was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay $1,505.94 in restitution. Court records show he must make payments of $25 per month to [Martin County Water District] through the Martin Circuit Clerk’s Office.

The charge stems from a Feb. 21, 2023, inspection in which employees of Martin County Water contract manager Alliance Water Resources found what court records describe as a theft device in Allen’s meter box.

According to the criminal complaint, Alliance disconnected Allen’s water service Oct. 5, 2021, for nonpayment. They later pulled the meter and locked it out Jan. 4, 2023.

When utility workers returned to inspect the property Feb. 21, 2023, they found the device being used to obtain water service without paying for it, the complaint states.

The estimated loss, including water and labor, totaled $1,505.94, according to the filing.

Alliance initiated the complaint in April 2025. The Martin Circuit Court formally charged Allen in December 2025 under Kentucky’s Rocket Docket program.