Two women were arrested in Naperville, Ill., last week after interfering with smart meter installations at their respective homes. The women, Malia Bendis and Jennifer Stahl, are leaders of the Naperville Smart Meter Awareness organization, a smart meter opposition group that has filed a lawsuit against the city.
According to a Chicago Tribune report, Bendis was charged with two misdemeanors and Stahl was cited with two ordinance violations. Both women attempted to block installers from replacing their meters. Stahl said installers had cut a lock on her gate and entered her backyard.
City Manager Doug Krieger told the Tribune that the city, which says the smart meters are safe and has already deployed about 57,000 units, plans to continue with its rollout.
“The city has always had and maintains the right to access our equipment, and today we were simply exercising that right,” Kreiger said.
