BURBANK : Sutliff Loses Backing Over Cable Charge

Gary Sutliff, a candidate for Burbank City Council, has been charged with possessing a cable box that enables viewers to watch premium channels without being billed.

The misdemeanor charge immediately cost Sutliff the endorsement of the Firefighters Assn. for Tuesday’s election.

Sutliff is a retired battalion chief who worked for the Burbank Fire Department for 31 years. He faces a maximum fine of $1,000 or 90 days in county jail, or both, if convicted.

Sutliff’s home was searched last April as part of an investigation by Sammons Communications into a possible conspiracy to manufacture and distribute the boxes, Burbank Police Sgt. Michael Keeffe said.

Also charged, police said, was Bernard Hoblinski, who was found to have 200 of the cable boxes in his Burbank garage.

The boxes, which typically go for about $200 and are often sold at swap meets or through mail order, enable cable subscribers to watch premium channels such as Showtime and HBO without having to pay.

According to Sammons’ office manager, Joanne Burger, Sutliff told the cable company last month that he mistakenly bought the box at a swap meet and wanted to be billed for any services he improperly received. But Sammons declined because it would be too difficult to determine when Sutliff actually obtained the cable box and how much to bill him, Burger said.

Neither Sutliff nor Barbara Murphy, the deputy district attorney handling the case, could be reached for comment Tuesday.

The union withdrew its endorsement of Sutliff this week, citing disappointment over the way the retired battalion chief has handled questions about the case.

The group’s president, Lew Stone, said he asked Sutliff about the case in January and was told that no charges were likely to be filed. Instead, the district attorney’s office pressed ahead, filing the misdemeanor charge against Sutliff earlier this month.

“The firefighters were led to believe Gary was going to meet this whole issue head on, deal with the mistakes that were made, and that he was going to be forthright,” Stone said. “To this point, that hasn’t happened.

“With such a dark cloud hanging over Gary’s head, there’s no way he can be an effective leader right now.”