NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A 49-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after he reportedly cut off the power to a Hermitage bar after he was asked to leave the premises.
According to court documents, Matthew Phelps is an employee of Nashville Electric Service and a regular at Shooter's bar on Old Hickory Boulevard in Hermitage. On Super Bowl Sunday, he went to the bar around 11:20 p.m. and was drinking from a personal tumbler.
The bar owner told officers Phelps was asked to not drink from the tumbler since it is not allowed and was offered a plastic cup. Metro police reported Phelps became irate and threatened to shoot a bartender.
Phelps left the business and went around to the back where he cut the power off to the building, according to court documents.
Shooter's owner told officers the power outage damaged the bar's $3,500 speakers and the hardware for the bar's Golden Tee arcade game. Phelps also reportedly kicked the back fence to the business, causing an estimated $300 in damages.
Phelps was booked into the Metro jail and charged with felony vandalism. He was released on a $25,000 bond.
NES sent News 2 a statement about the incident:
We are aware of an alleged incident involving an off-duty NES employee and immediately began an investigation. What has been alleged goes against our values and does not represent the conduct we expect from employees. The employee was not representing NES and was not on duty at the time of the incident. We continue to investigate this incident, and at its conclusion, we will take appropriate action.
The owner told News 2 Phelps has promised to replace the Golden Tee game with a newer version.