It all began with an odd increase in water consumption.
Now, a man from Kingston, Ont., is facing charges after allegations surfaced that he was stealing water from fire hydrants.
The claims arose from complaints received by police in Gananoque, Ont., on June 4 and 5.
A week later, on June 13, employees of the public utility noticed unusual water extraction, leading officers on patrol to locate a suspect vehicle identified as a water truck. The driver was subsequently arrested.
A 44-year-old man from Kingston has been charged with two counts of theft under $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000.
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Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories. “The reality is that when someone damages or steals from a municipality, they actually increase the cost of municipal service delivery for all the other taxpayers,” said Mayor John Beddows. “I’m frankly disappointed in this case.” Story continues below It’s unclear how much water was taken or its intended use, but the town hasn’t reported any issues with water service or firefighter response thus far. In Ontario, fire hydrants are generally not publicly accessible. Meadows pointed out that it’s usually the fire department or public works staff who handle maintenance and purging of lines in his area. More on Crime More videos Meadows mentioned he didn’t care if the man was local or not; it still impacts the community by increasing costs for taxpayers to supply water. “If you see something, say something. Call it out, and this is a case, I think, of a win-win-win,” Meadows added while referencing public utility workers who reported the suspicious water extraction that led to the arrest. The man is being held in custody pending a bail hearing. His truck has been seized as evidence. The investigation continues. -with files from ’s Jesse Reynolds & copy 2026 , a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.Source link
