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Tom Selleck Accused Of Being A Shameless Water Thief
There are wealthy, drought-flouters who like keeping their lawn green, and then there's the alleged water crimes of Tom Selleck. The mustachioed actor is accused of shamelessly stealing truckloads of water from a public hydrant in order to water his Hidden Valley ranch in Westlake Village. The Calleguas Municipal Water District filed a complaint against him and his wife Jillie on Monday. It claims that since 2013, a white truck filled up at the hydrant before carting the contraband water to his 60-acre ranch in Ventura County, which includes an avocado farm, according to the Los Angeles Times. This has allegedly happened about a dozen times.
The water district pulled out all the stops and even spent $22,000 on a private investigator to document the alleged water thieving.
The problem isn't just that there's a drought going on but that Selleck has no rights to the water he is allegedly trucking in: Selleck lives in the Hidden Valley Municipal Water District. In November 2013, the water district sent cease-and-desist letters to Selleck's home and his Avenue of the Stars address, court papers say. But the water truck was spotted filling up and delivering water to his state four days in a row in March 2015.
The water district is asking Selleck to pay legal fees and investigative costs. It's also barring Selleck and any of his contractors from taking any more water. Selleck hasn't offered up any comment to the Times or The Hollywood Reporter.
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Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
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