GILBERT, AZ — Police said they arrested a 40-year-old man after he allegedly made threats on social media against Gilbert council members.
Gilbert police said Robert Walker Duane Bird was arrested on October 16 on five counts of threatening to inflict physical harm on a person using electronic communication. In a statement, police told ABC15 that making threats of violence, even on social media, is a criminal offense and will be investigated thoroughly.
ABC15 was unable to reach Bird for comment. In the statement, Gilbert police said these are allegations, and Bird is presumed innocent.
The arrest happened just two days after Gilbert residents packed town chambers last week to complain about steep increases in their water bills. That meeting stretched for hours.
“I feel like the citizens of Gilbert have been victimized because of the poor decisions that were made,” said Barbara Colvin, who lives in the San Tan Ranch area, at last week’s meeting.
Colvin, who is retired, said her bill has jumped from $80 to $152 a month.
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Jessica Marlow, Gilbert’s public works director, said there are several reasons for higher bills. These include phased-in increases over the last two years, new water meters and a new billing system.
A water rate increase of 50% in April 2024 was followed by another 25% increase in April of this year. This was coupled with a $30 monthly increase in sewer rates the same month this year.
Marlow said those increases are vital to ensuring the town’s future water supply, including upgrades to the North Water Treatment Plant and nine new wells.
And the pain is not over. Another 25% increase in water rates is planned for April 2026.
Marlow said the town is also changing out its water meters as they age. She said the new meters are more sensitive. Small leaks that went undetected in the old system may show up as higher usage with the new meters. She announced the town is ordering an independent audit of the meters.
“If there’s a meter error, we will adjust it,” she said.
On June 30, the town also switched to a new billing system that doesn't automatically enroll residents into automatic billing. Marlow said there are unpaid balances that are carrying over as a result.
She said the town is planning to hire temporary workers to reduce wait times for customer-service calls. She urged residents to call if they have questions about their bills.
“We cannot help if it’s not reported to us,” she said.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as Twitter.
