Selleck accused of stealing water for farm

TV star Tom Selleck has been accused of stealing truckloads of water from a public hydrant to use on his avocado farm - circumventing tough, state-imposed water restrictions.
THE star of crime shows Magnum PI and Blue Bloods allegedly took the water to his ranch, which is in a drought-stricken part of California where communities have been ordered to cut use by as much as 36 per cent.
The Calleguas Municipal Water District in Ventura County claims a tanker truck filled up at a hydrant more than a dozen times and hauled water to the 24-hectare ranch owned by Selleck. The district says it spent almost $US22,000 ($A30,000) to hire a private investigator to document the alleged thefts that date back two years, and it is now suing Selleck and his wife Jillie. It claims it sent Selleck cease-and-desist letters, but the truck was spotted as recently as March filling up at the hydrant on four days and delivering water to the ranch. The local Sheriff's Department says it's not able to establish that a crime occurred. California communities have been ordered to cut water use compared with 2013 levels due to the relentless, four-year drought.