OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla.,None — A county commission candidate in Osceola County filed a lawsuit against the Kissimmee Utility Authority on Monday. Tony Ferentinos said he never should have been arrested. He was accused of stealing close to $2,000 worth of electricity at his used car lot earlier this year.
Ferentinos filed a complaint at the Osceola County Courthouse. In the complaint, he said the Kissimmee Utility Authority damaged his reputation when the company accused him of stealing power at his auto sales business in Kissimmee. Ferentinos said he is seeking at least $15,000 in damages.
The investigation began in 2009 when Ferentinos was arrested and accused of tampering with the meter outside his business. But this past June, a judge dismissed all the charges and threw the case out of court.
Ferentinos and his attorney said that proves he is innocent, and they said it backs their belief that the accusations by KUA were politically motivated. Ferentinos is running for County Commission and has always been an outspoken critic of KUA.
However, the utility company said it has the evidence.
"Why weren't they able to bring that forward at trial?" asked WFTV reporter Nancy Alvarez. "You didn't tamper with your meter?"
"Absolutely not. I don't know anything about electricity. I don't play with electricity," Ferentinos replied.
But a statement released b Kissimmee Utility Authority Spokesman Chris Gent said, "In 2009, KUA discovered clear and compelling evidence of meter tampering at ET Auto Sales owned at that time by Tony Ferentinos. We presented the evidence to law enforcement in good faith. We feel there is no merit to Mr. Ferentino's claim of malicious prosecution and KUA is fully prepared to defend its actions in this matter."
WFTV will update this story as it develops.
WFTV
