Jesslyn Pelotto and her three children had been without water for several days.

Pelotto lives in a duplex in the Heart of Lubbock neighborhood. She said she’d been laid off due to the coronavirus, and was out of work for about a month.

But she began working at a convenience store on Tuesday, she said, and had informed her property management company, BND Properties, that when she had rent, plus the $50 late fee, plus the $10-per-day it was late, she’d pay it.

Before she started working again, Pelotto said she got a call from BND Properties saying it would turn off utilities, which are in the property manager’s name, unless she paid that day.

About an hour later, she said, the water was off. Pelotto has children ages five, four and one. Pelotto said she wasn’t able to wash her hands or bathe her children for several days.

"They illegally came and turned off our water on me and my three kids," Pelotto said. "We couldn’t wash our hands, I couldn’t wash dishes, I couldn’t take a bath, nothing. I’m working, so having to come home and not knowing if I’m going to give something to my kids because I couldn’t wash my hands — it was very scary."

A-J Media reached out to BND Properties by phone on Wednesday and was told a representative would return the call, but did not receive a call back for comment by Wednesday evening.

Lubbock, as is the rest of the country, is in a public health crisis. Nearly 276,000 Texans filed for unemployment benefits the week ending March 28, in addition to the 154,000 claims the work before, according to data released last week by the Department of Labor. Claims spiked 16 times over what they were the same time last year.

On Monday, the Texas Supreme Court extended its suspension on eviction and foreclosure cases as COVID-19 infections continue to rise.

Jim Hansen, the justice of the peace for precinct 1, said he believes 100 to 200 eviction and foreclosure cases filed by private landlords in Lubbock will likely remain on hold.

As the economic toll by the pandemic forces businesses to lay off or cut their employee’s hours and pay, many tenants are unable to make rent, which usually triggers eviction filings, A-J Media wrote earlier this week.

City of Lubbock Utilities has also suspended utility service disconnects for non-payment to assist customers who may be experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19 or its economic impacts, according to a news release sent several weeks ago.

The action goes into effect immediately until further notice, Lubbock Utilities wrote.

"In addition to suspending disconnects, City of Lubbock Utilities has been working with each customer who contacts us to set up utility payment arrangements that fit their individual need and suspend any late fees associated with their account," reads a statement from the city utility. "This assistance is required now and will continue to be required long after we move beyond this moment of crisis. Customers who have the ability to stay current on their monthly payments are strongly encouraged to do so as it allows all city utilities to continue to provide vital utility services to the community during this critical time."

The reason Pelotto’s utilities were turned off is because her utilities are in BND Properties’ name.

City of Lubbock Utilities said on Wednesday it’s still processing start and stop of services at the request of verified account holders who contact them.

Because citizens are still moving into and out of homes and apartments, start and stop requests continue on a daily basis, Lubbock Utilities says.

Pelotto believes BND Properties shut off her utilities in an effort to make her move out, something Pelotto described as "self-eviction."

"Basically what landlords do is, for a self-eviction, they try to do stuff to get you to move," Pelotto said. "Since the courts are closed right now, and they couldn’t try to evict us, the best way to get us to try to move would be to turn off water with me having three children."

Pelotto emailed media outlets about her situation Tuesday evening, when her water was still shut off. A-J Media also contacted BND Properties, but did not receive an official response from its management.

On Wednesday afternoon, Pelotto said her water had been turned back on.

Pelotto also said Catholic Charities of Lubbock contacted her, and they offered to pay the rent and utility money she owed.

A-J Media reached out to Councilman Juan Chadis earlier Wednesday, and at the time he said the city’s legal department was looking into Pelotto’s situation.

Stephanie Martinez is the office manager at Lubbock County’s Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3. Martinez said tenants who are in this type of situation can file a writ of restoration at the county if the landlord turns off utilities.

The judge will hear from the tenant and may issue an order to restore utility services. The writ of restoration is only for utilities; a writ of reentry can be filed if a tenant believes they’ve been unlawfully locked out of the home.