TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) - The city of Toledo is making more progress in its crackdown on water theft. The city recently hired a retired police detective to work as a water theft investigator, and now the city is starting to take cases to court and get convictions.
This month, Jai Dix entered a plea of no contest and was found guilty of water theft, and Randolph Waldron was found guilty of water theft and tampering. Both will be sentenced in August.
Toledo Public Utilities director, Dave Welch, says with rates going up over the next four years to pay for upgrades to the water treatment plant, the city needs to send a message to those who want their water without paying for it. He says they are finding cases of people turning their water back on after service was disconnected, or people trying to use hoses to hook up to a neighbor's home.
"Pay your bill. If you're going to steal water from us, we're going to come after you. But if you need help, give us a call. We'll work with you. We'll put you on a monthly payment plan. If you need help, let us know. We can help you," said Welch.
Welch says the city has another dozen cases of water theft ready to go to court.
