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Actor Tom Selleck has been accused of stealing water for his ranch in parched California by raiding a public hydrant.
The Calleguas Municipal Water District in Ventura County claims a tanker truck filled up more than a dozen times over the past two years.
It said the water was delivered to the Magnum PI star’s nearby 60-acre ranch, where he grows avocados.
The district is seeking a court injunction preventing Selleck from taking any more water.
The legal case comes after California communities were ordered to cut water usage by 25% amid a four-year drought that has damaged the state’s agriculture industry.
In documents filed at Ventura Country Superior Court, the complaint said the Calleguas Municipal Water District spent nearly $22,000 (£14,300) to hire a private investigator from 2013-15 to record the thefts.
The most recent incident was in March, when the same truck was spotted taking water in the town of Thousand Oaks and taking it to the actor’s ranch in Westlake Village on four consecutive days.
The complaint added the location of the water hydrant was in a different area than the water district that serves the actor’s ranch.
The district said it sent Selleck a cease-and-desist order in November 2013, warning it would take legal action if he did not stop taking the water.
In addition to the injunction, the district is also seeking to recoup its legal fees and investigative costs.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department also investigated and was unable to establish a crime occurred, Capt John Reilly said.
Representatives for Selleck have yet to comment on the matter.
