Aldermen Vote To Send Water Theft Case To Sheriff

The City of Spencer has uncovered that a former customer of the Spencer Water Department had been stealing water from the city for some five years.

Mayor Alisa Farmer said the resident of the Haletown community had his water shut off in 2019. She said when the person’s name was referred to the UCHRA as a candidate for its water assistance program, the city’s utility clerk realized that the individual did not have an active account with the city.

The city sent a utility worker to inspect the property from which the entire water meter had been completely removed in 2019. They discovered that a jumper had been installed, allowing the resident to continue using water, Farmer said.

She said the city had difficulty with this individual every month and he frequently failed to pay bills when he was a customer.

The Spencer Board of Aldermen voted Thursday night to send the case to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department for investigation.