BROKEN ARROW, Okla. -- A woman found two men in her backyard, but they had every right to be there.
Joy Witt’s aunt heard a knock at her front door. Witt said, “She heard the knock on the door. By the time, she opened the door, they weren’t there. So, she just went to the back door, I assume she was going to let her dogs outside to go to the bathroom.”
That’s when she says her aunt found two men on her back porch. Witt said, “She was surprised and said, ‘What are you doing on my back porch?’ They said they were working for (Oklahoma Natural Gas) and they were there to inspect her meter.”
She says they had on orange vests and badges, but her aunt was not sure if the two men were legitimate. At first, she thought they were trying to break in.
The niece says the only way to open the gate is from the inside, so the only way to get into the backyard is by jumping over the fence.
She explained, “My husband and I fixed it to where nobody can get in from the outside.”
2 Works for You reached out to Oklahoma Natural Gas to find out if this was a common practice. ONG sent a statement saying there is ongoing work in Broken Arrow required by the Department of Transportation.
The statement says crews must be able to access ONG equipment to do their work and when they aren’t able to reach the homeowner, they may use a ladder to access to the equipment.
"Safety is our number one priority at Oklahoma Natural Gas and we continually perform maintenance work and survey our equipment to ensure it is safely operating. The work currently being done in the Broken Arrow area is a requirement by the Department of Transportation and is intended to keep the system safe. Crews must be able to access our equipment to do their work and when they aren’t able to reach the homeowner, they may use a ladder to access to the equipment. We do urge homeowners, if they are concerned, to ask for an Oklahoma Natural Gas badge. All workers performing surveys for Oklahoma Natural Gas will have a company issued badge."
- ONG in statement to 2 Works for You
Witt says she still does not think it's right, adding, “It’s definitely something you don’t want to open your back door and see people that you don’t know on your back porch. It’s very breathtaking, I guess.”
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