Utility man working to restore power in Texas arrested, accused of beating another lineman
Police in Texas arrested a utility worker attempting to restore power in Galveston on the heels of Hurricane Beryl after they said he brutally attacked a fellow lineman leaving the victim clinging to life.
According to the Galveston Police Department, Trevor Alan Tedore, 24, stands accused of assaulting a man found on the island on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Seawall Boulevard , the road where police found the victim on Monday, is on the southern portion of the island and stretches from north to south.
Police did not release the victim's name.
According to a press release, officers responded about 1:15 a.m. Monday to the boulevard near 31st Street for a report of a man lying on the sidewalk. At the scene, police said, it appeared the man had been struck repeatedly in his head and face.
The victim was taken to an area hospital in critical condition.
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Linemen were staying at hotel in Galveston
According to police, both Tedore and the victim were linemen working on the power restoration efforts in the city and were both staying at a nearby hotel.
A preliminary investigation led detectives to believe Tedore attacked the victim, according to the release.
A motive in the assault was not immediately known and police did not release the name of the company the men work for.
On Tuesday morning, police Task Force Officers and the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders task force located Tedore in League City and arrested him, the release continues.
Trevor Tedore jailed on $200,000 bond
Galveston County Sheriff's Office records show Tedore was booked into the county jail on Tuesday.
That same day, records show, prosecutors with the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office charged Tedore with one count of felony aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury in connection to the attack.
As of Wednesday, jail records showed, Tedore remained incarcerated on $200,000 bond awaiting trial.
USA TODAY has reached out to Tedore. As of Wednesday, it was not immediately known if he had obtained an attorney.
Crews have been working around the clock for more than a week to try to restore power to southeast Texas residents after Beryl blew through the area.
During a news conference Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gave the utility company under fire for continued power outages in greater Houston until the end of the month to develop a plan to minimize future outages or face consequences for its shortcomings.
CenterPoint Energy has been criticized for the high-water mark of 2.2 million electric customers who lost power in the region after Beryl pummeled the state last week as a Category 1 hurricane.
Although the utility company said 98% of its customers who lost power have had it restored, nearly 300,000 customers remained in the dark this week with out air conditioning as a heat wave enveloped the country.
Contributing: John C. Moritzm Bayliss Wagner and Thao Nguyen
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.