Tom Selleck Accused Of Stealing Water For Avocado Farm

Update: On July 10, ABC News reported that "water from a public hydrant that Tom Selleck has been accused of stealing from in dry California was legally purchased, officials say," citing the Associated Press. The district has reached a tentative settlement to its lawsuit with the star.

You may know him as the star of “Magnum, P.I.” or as Monica’s boyfriend in “Friends,” but now Tom Selleck is gaining notoriety for something else altogether: water theft.

Calleguas Municipal Water District in Southern California filed a lawsuit against the actor alleging that he “repeatedly filled a commercial water truck from a public fire hydrant, ignoring cease-and-desists,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. The alleged theft is “presumably to irrigate Selleck’s sprawling ranch and avocado farm in drought-parched California.”

As Fox News put it: “Those must have been some thirsty avocados.”

The water district paid a private investigator $22,000 to keep an eye on Selleck, according to CNN. The district is “seeking that amount and an injunction, along with court and attorney fees,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The New York Post mocked Selleck in an editorial satirically defending his actions:

The sexy septuagenarian probably didn’t mean to fill up hundreds of thousands of gallons of water a dozen times. Listen, sometimes things just happen, and it’s very likely the law-abiding — nay, law-enforcing — Thomas Magnum, in his Hawaiian shirt and Tigers baseball cap, made an honest mistake. Twelve times. Involving a nearly incalculable amount of endangered water that’s imperiled tens of millions of lives.

Although Selleck may be the only one accused of theft, other celebrities have been criticized for using too much water during California’s historic drought.

The New York Post called out Kim Kardashian and Barbra Streisand for the large size of their lawns. And Oprah Winfrey was criticized last year for questionable conservation practices. Two years ago, “Oprah’s annual bill from the Montecito Water District was just shy of $125,000. [The following year], it is less than half. Like many in this wealthy enclave, Oprah has cut back on her consumption of district water. That said, her property has its own wells and a small lake and, according to neighbors, there are the [trucks that carry in water]," Politico reported last year.

California has cracked down on individual, business, and agricultural water users in recent months. Urban centers face particularly stiff cuts. "While 135 communities face a stark 35 percent order, another 18 communities, including San Francisco, face reductions of just 10 percent, reflecting the progress they have made in cutting water consumption on their own. The remainder of the 400 California water agencies...would have to make cuts of 20 to 25 percent. Los Angeles would have to reduce its water use by 20 percent," Newsweek reported.

For more scandalous imperiled water abuse stories, visit Water Online’s Water Scarcity Solutions Center.