A routine water shutoff in West Portsmouth turned into a police call after a city worker said a man cut a lock off a water meter and then threatened to shoot him when crews came back.
Scioto County deputies met with Portsmouth Water Department employees near the car wash on Galena Pike after workers reported trouble at the property.
According to the sheriff’s log, the Water Department had placed a lock on the meter. The resident allegedly cut it off.
Workers returned and installed another lock.
That’s when things reportedly got ugly.
The employee told deputies the man came outside and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t turn the water back on.
The worker left the property and waited at the car wash for law enforcement.
Deputies later located the man at Dollar General and spoke with him. Officers said they received consent to search for a firearm but did not locate one.
The available log does not say whether the man was arrested or charged.
So what started as a shutoff dispute over a water meter quickly became a much more serious call once a worker reported a gun threat.