An official says that actor Tom Selleck, who had been accused of stealing water from a public water hydrant in California, had legally purchased the water all along, the Associated Press reported.
The Calleguas Municipal Water District accused Selleck of illegally moving water from district boundaries from Thousand Oaks to his 60-acre Hidden Valley estate and spent about $22,000 on a private investigator to track the deliveries, said the complaint filed in Ventura County Superior Court, according to the Los Angeles Times.
However, Jay Spurgin, public works director for the city of Thousand Oaks, told the LA Times that the water was paid for. Records show a construction company received a city-approved water meter on the hydrant two years ago. It's unclear if Selleck or his employees bought the water from the company or another source.
California has ordered communities to cut water use by 25 percent from levels in 2013, USA Today reported. However, Selleck was required to bring down water use for his ranch and surrounding lands, which rely on wells for drinking water, by up to 36 percent.
