Anyone living in California knows the state is suffering a severe drought. Freeway signs advise to use less water. Commercials do the same. Water usage is regulated in many areas, if not all, as to when residents can water their plants and lawns. While some people are letting their lawns go brown in a conservation effort, others are not. The latest in accusations of #DroughtShaming (yes, this is a thing – it’s when you call out a neighbor for wasting water, oftentimes on social media) alleges that actor Tom Selleck has been stealing water to irrigate his avocado farm.
The Calleguas Municipal Water District, located in Ventura County just outside Los Angeles, claims that Selleck had a tanker truck fill up at a nearby fire hydrant and bring the water to Selleck’s property. The water district says this happened over a dozen times, even after a cease and desist order was given, CBC News reports. The district says it hired a private investigator, costing them $22,000, to document the activity. It has been reported that the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department also conducted an investigation; however, could not confirm a crime was committed.
The district submitted a lawsuit to Ventura County Superior Court earlier this week and is asking that Selleck pay the legal fees and cost of the private investigator as well as stop using water belonging to the district.
Neither Selleck nor his representatives have commented.
