Should Operator Get 20 Years For Shooting At Water Lines?

After a former water operator allegedly vandalized water lines in Mississippi, he faced up to 20 years in jail, but his case ended in a mistrial this month.

The original charge against Michael Tarver, per The Bolivar Commercial, said he knowingly tampered “with a public drinking water system operated by the Boyle-Skene Water Corporation in Bolivar and Sunflower counties by shooting into, breaking, vandalizing, and otherwise damaging one or more of the water supply lines, abandoned meters, bleed off valves, and other water supply equipment.”

The equipment belonged to the Boyle-Skene Water Corporation in Bolivar and Sunflower Counties, and the damages allegedly totaled more than $100,000. The charge alleged that it created a potential for customers to lose service or for contaminants to enter the water system.

Tarver denies the allegations, according to the Commercial. In a separate lawsuit, Tarver is seeking “money damages for wrongful termination, defamation and other reasons,” according to the AP. He claims he witnessed higher-ups using water without paying.

Destroying water lines is a serious crime.

“Tampering with a drinking water system is a federal crime punishable by 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Tarver is free on $1 million bail, living under house arrest in Hinds County,” the Associated Press reported.

The trial ran for two weeks, according to WABG. Prosecutors said Tarver vandalized the water lines after his salary was cut from $126,000 to $70,000 and after he was fired, according to the AP.

“After water lines began to be damaged, the association set up video cameras and secretly put a GPS tracker on Tarver’s truck, court records show. Prosecutors claimed the GPS records show Tarver was at some of the locations where the vandalism took place,” the report said.

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