Going Out on a Limb to Fight Oncor Trimming

Dallas woman says she'll be waiting for tree-trimmers with pellet rifle

An East Dallas woman says she doesn't want the electric company anywhere near her trees.

Jeri Huber hasn't climbed a tree in 50 years, but she's planning to be up in her pecan tree Monday morning, she's planning to protect it with a pellet gun.

"That's how serious I take all this," she said while sitting in the tree in her manicured backyard. "I'm up in a tree."

Crews hired by Oncor Electric Delivery plan to trim back her pecan tree branches to keep them at least 10 feet from the power lines. But after talking to Oncor and the tree-trimming subcontractor working for the power company, Huber said she'd rather have someone else cut the trees.

"He said, 'Oh, all this is going to have to go. This is going to have to come back. It's 10 feet here, 10 feet there,'" Huber said. "They are not willing to work with you at all. They just kind of bully their way through this as if a homeowner has no rights."

Huber said the contractor told her they would trim the trees anyway. Huber said she took that as a threat against her property.

"We went out and spoke to her and tried to explain to her, but then it got pretty hostile," Oncor spokeswoman Jeamy Molina said. "She did threaten our employees today. And she has threatened to do different things to prevent us from pruning."

But Huber said she doesn't plan on firing.

"I just want it to look threatening," she said. "I would not be shooting anyone."

Oncor said it has contacted the police about the situation and are ready to show up Monday morning at 8 a.m. to her home to trim the trees. Oncor said it will bring the police if necessary.

Huber said she has allowed Oncor to trim different trees in her yard in the past and understands the need to trim limbs near power lines. But she said trimming the tree limbs 10 feet back could kill the trees.

"They're going to be devastated," she said. "This one may die, this one over here may die, the others are going to look horrible. We all wants power. Power is very important, and I want it as much as anybody else, but what they do to trees is not necessary."

Huber said she lost power in the last snowstorm, but not because of her trees. She said she was willing to let the company bury the lines to protect her trees.

Contact Us