Tom Selleck DID pay for water he was accused of stealing from a hydrant in drought-stricken California to use on his 60-acre ranch, city official insists
- Magnum P.I star accused of filling a tanker a dozen times in two years
- Has reached a settlement with the Calleguas Municipal Water District
- Officials have revealed water was purchased by a construction company
- It's not known whether Selleck bought it from the firm or another source
Water from a public hydrant that Tom Selleck has been accused of stealing from in dry California was legally purchased, an official has said.
The Calleguas Municipal Water District in Ventura County sued the 'Magnum, P.I.' star, alleging that a tanker truck filled up at the hydrant and took it to Selleck's 60-acre ranch more than a dozen times in the past two years.
The district announced a tentative settlement with Selleck on Thursday.
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Drought shamed: Tom Selleck and his wife Jillie Mack have reached a tentative agreement with a water district after allegedly stealing thousands of gallons of water. Officials have since revealed the water was purchased legally from a construction company
Jay Spurgin, public works director for Thousand Oaks, said a construction company paid a fee to secure the rights to draw water from the city hydrant two years ago. About 1.4 million gallons of water were taken from the hydrant during that period.
'There was water used during that time, and it was paid for,' he said.
Construction firms and contractors can obtain special meters that allow them to haul water from hydrants for large projects.
Companies can draw as much water as they need or sell it to a third party as long as they pay the monthly service charge and water bill, Spurgin said.
Luscious: This is a 1995 photograph of the couple's 60-acre ranch, which includes an avocado farm
A truck allegedly made at least 12 trips to a hydrant in Thousands Oak (stock image) and back to their ranch
The water meter in question was removed in June.
It's unclear if Selleck or his employees bought the water from the company or another source.
A representative for Selleck didn't immediately return a request for comment on Friday.
The water district said it spent nearly $22,000 for a private detective to investigate.
District officials declined to provide details of the tentative settlement, which has to be approved by the water board next week.
California is grappling with a persistent drought, and the community where Selleck has his land is under mandatory cutbacks as high as 36 percent
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