For Charles Lowe, the past year has been defined by survival.

A veteran living in Evansville, Lowe has been battling serious health issues—fighting cancer, managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and recovering from a recent hospital stay. It is the kind of stretch that would test anyone. But now, he says, he is facing another burden he never saw coming: thousands of dollars in electric bills he claims were never his to begin with.

According to local reports, Lowe’s neighbor, 50-year-old Tina Milburn, has been accused of siphoning electricity from his home using an extension cord—an arrangement that allegedly went on for months, quietly driving up his utility costs.

Lowe said the discovery came unexpectedly, when his roommate noticed something unusual behind their trailer.

“He said, ‘Come back here and look at this,’” Lowe recalled in an interview. What they found, he said, was an extension cord running from beneath their home to a neighboring trailer.

Authorities allege that Milburn crawled under Lowe’s trailer to plug into his power supply, using it to run electricity in her own residence. The alleged setup, simple but effective, turned Lowe’s home into an unwitting source of power—one he says he could not afford to give.

For Lowe, the financial impact has been immediate and overwhelming.

“I’ve been going through so much this last year,” he said. Already dealing with mounting medical concerns, he now faces utility bills that have soared into the thousands each month. Even with a payment plan arranged through his energy provider, the strain remains.

Living with COPD—a chronic lung condition that makes breathing difficult—Lowe’s daily life is already shaped by limitations. Add in the physical and emotional toll of cancer treatment, and the situation becomes even more precarious.

That is why the alleged theft feels, to him, like more than just a financial violation.

“I can’t handle all this stuff that’s going on right now,” Lowe said, visibly shaken. “I want to be treated how I treat people.”

His words reflect a deeper frustration—one rooted not just in the loss of money, but in a sense of fairness. “There’s two things I don’t like in life; that’s a thief and a liar,” he added.

Authorities have charged Milburn with burglary in connection with the case. According to reports, she allegedly admitted to plugging into Lowe’s electricity and had planned to give him $100 without explanation.

That detail, for many, underscores the imbalance between what was allegedly taken and what was offered in return.

Milburn is being held at the Vanderburgh County Jail on a $500 bond, and her initial court appearance is scheduled for Monday. It is not yet clear whether she has retained legal representation or entered a plea.

Meanwhile, Lowe is left navigating the aftermath.

There is no easy way to recover from months of inflated utility bills, especially while dealing with serious health challenges. Even with a structured payment plan, the debt lingers—another weight layered onto an already difficult chapter of his life.

Still, those who know Lowe describe him as resilient. A veteran who has faced down illness more than once, he continues to push forward, even as new obstacles emerge.

But resilience has its limits.

In this case, the alleged theft did not just take electricity—it took peace of mind, financial stability, and a sense of security from someone who had already endured more than his share.

For Lowe, the hope now is simple: accountability, relief, and a chance to focus on what matters most—his health, and the life he has fought hard to keep.