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Pacific Power cited in electrocution State says utility disturbed scene of man's death By Chris Bristol of the Mail Tribune SALEM -- A Pacific Power crew ruined evidence in connection with the investigation of an accident that electrocuted a Central Point public works employee, according to a report. The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division last month cited the utility company for allegedly failing to preserve the scene of the Aug. 30 accident, which killed Jason Menteer and injured two co-workers. The violation included a $2,500 fine. Earlier this week, the Mail Tribune reported that OR-OSHA also fined the city $11,100 for five safety violations linked to the accident. The city has appealed. PacifiCorp spokeswoman Darby Collins dismissed the citation as "without merit" and said the company also plans to appeal. PacifiCorp, based in Portland, is Pacific Power's parent company. The citation alleged a Pacific Power crew "altered" the accident scene. It said a Pacific Power crew shut off the power, moved equipment, repaired fuses and wiring, and dug a trench that uncovered more wiring -- hours before an OR-OSHA investigator arrived at the scene. The report does not imply a coverup. Collins said the utility crew was only trying to repair a power outage caused by the accident and to make sure the scene was safe. "This was after the fact, and they were only trying to restore power," Collins said Friday. "We had a responsibility to restore power." Menteer, 22, was electrocuted when a copper tube he was holding severed a buried power line. He was part of a three-man city crew that was trying to repair a leaky residential water line on North Crest Drive. Both sides -- the city and Pacific Power -- are blaming each other for the accident. The city has no liability under the state workers compensation law, however, and the Menteer family is considering a lawsuit against the utility company. Menteer, the son of Roberta and Larry Menteer, had been on the job less than a year. Larry Menteer is the state watermaster for Jackson County. Previous stories incorrectly stated Jason's age. Daniel Dziuba, a Portland attorney who represents the Menteer family, repeated comments he made earlier this week that a Pacific Power employee appeared to be at fault. Menteer's crew uncovered three power lines in a trench dug by the city crew. Dziuba said a Pacific Power "locator" failed to identify more buried lines in the trench, including the one that electrocuted Menteer. "They relied on this guy," Dziuba said. "He's the expert." Darby, the Pacific Power spokeswoman, denied the allegation. She declined to discuss the case in more detail, noting instead the citations OR-OSHA issued the city. OR-OSHA accused the city of five safety violations, all defined as serious. The agency said Menteer was not equipped with protective clothing -- including shock-resistant rubber gloves -- and the foreman failed to confirm or "de-energize" powerlines in the trench. The agency also said city employees had not received enough training for electrical hazards, even though another employee was shocked in a different incident on the same street only four months before. PacifiCorp, the parent company of Pacific Power, serves 1.5 million customers in six Western states, including 485,000 customers in Oregon. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA