Tom Selleck Was Once Surprised To Find Himself Accused Of Theft, Starting A Heavy Dispute

Oct 25, 2023

With a decades-long career, Tom Selleck has made a name for himself in Hollywood. The veteran actor has a large fanbase that cuts across generations and is still a sight to behold on screen. He became a household name and a beloved star with his roles in “Magnum, PI” and “Three Men and a Baby” in the 1980s. However, at the height of stardom, Selleck stepped back from “Magnum, PI,” stating he was tired. 

He retired to a ranch in Hidden Valley Estate, California, that sits on 65 acres of land and comprises a 1926 ranch house, a horse corral, and a 20-acre working avocado farm. The ranch, he claims, “has been a real blessing.” It was not just the stifling effect of fame and the desire for rest that pushed Selleck away from the bustle of city life. His wife, actress Jill Mack, had just given birth to their daughter Hannah, and the actor wanted to be with his family. 

“I quit Magnum to have a family,” he told People. “It took a long time to get off the train, but I try very hard to have balance, and this ranch has helped me do that.”

However, Selleck didn’t completely step away from the entertainment industry. Today, he brings Frank Reagen’s character to life in the television series “Blue Bloods,” which has him spending time between New York City and his ranch in Ventura, California. The CBS drama series has been on for over a decade, but it has given the near-octogenarian the time he needs for his ranch and family. 

Selleck revealed that he agreed to be cast in the drama because of the terrific script and the fact that he was assured that his family wouldn’t suffer when he became the head of the Reagan family.

During an interview with Collider in 2010, Selleck admitted to having hesitated to join the cast initially, as the show was filmed in New York City, far from his ranch. However, knowing he would not need to be in New York City more than half the time encouraged him to sign up. 

Away from the set, Selleck is a hard worker on his ranch. 

“I do grunt work and I make the rounds. I like watching things grow. It’s a retreat,” he told People. “I knew intellectually what it would mean in terms of being a public person, but until you’ve lived it, there’s no way to understand it. I had a feeling of, ‘I don’t think I’m cut out for this.’”

Even though the ranch owner doesn’t like to eat the avocados he grows, he is just as dedicated to seeing them grow as he is to his family. His hiatus from work after “Magnum, PI” was meant to be for a year, but after stepping back from celebrity glamor for a while, he realized what really mattered to him the most. 

Looking back over his 50-year-long career, Selleck says he is grateful for everything he has been given, both on and off-screen. 

“I’m proud of my work, I still love what I do, and I have my family,” Selleck said. “I’ve been enormously fortunate.” 

Family comes first for the actor, who had been married for over three decades. Selleck also seems to understand just how important nurturing is to marriage, and credits that for the longevity of his union with Mack. 

“It’s important to nurture your marriage,” he opined. “I think wanting time away from work has been good for that.”

Thankfully, living in an ultra-private estate allows Selleck and his spouse to do so. “I’m a fairly private person. And I’ve always treasured the balance between work and time with my family. It’s always about them,” he disclosed. 

While life for the family has been idyllic, a controversy that arose in 2015 almost cost them their peace. Eventually, Selleck had to pay a handsome sum to resolve the challenge. The actor was accused of water theft, and while the situation sounded unreal, it was serious for everyone concerned. 

Selleck’s Hidden Valley Estate exists mainly on paper and doesn’t provide drinking water. However, there have been severe droughts in California over the years that caused wells to dry up. In such cases, the “Blue Bloods” actor had to get water via alternative means. 

Selleck was sued in 2015 by the Calleguas Municipal Water District for stealing about 1.4 million gallons of water from the Ventura County Water District’s fire hydrant. He was accused of taking the water to the Hidden Valley Municipal Water District to save his avocado farm from the drought. 

The 78-year-old was considered an offender because it is illegal to take water from one water district to another, according to Eric Bergh, resources manager for the Calleguas Municipal Water District. 

“The water that we have secured for them, that they have paid for, should remain in district boundaries,” the manager told the Los Angeles Times. 

Selleck’s case was aggravated because the incident happened during the worst drought in California. The state underwent a severe four-year drought that saw the government imposing cutbacks on water usage in towns and cities.

Selleck also reportedly ignored the letters the district sent to his house, and a white truck kept delivering water to his house from 2013, when the first incident was recorded, to 2015.

Per the LA Times, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department investigated the occurrences but couldn't establish that a crime had occurred, according to a department spokesman.

Reddy Pakala, the former director of water and sanitation for the Ventura County Public Works Agency, also clarified that Selleck and about five others received permission to fill up trucks from a hydrant in Lake Sherwood, which was close to them. 

However, that agreement was cut short a few months later when the director discovered that moving potable water from one district to another was illegal. To prove the case against Selleck and Mack, the district community then hired a private investigator for $22,000.

The legal dispute stopped after Selleck paid the private investigator’s fees to the district, although he didn’t admit to committing fraud. 

“We’re happy about it,” Bergh told the outlet. “It’s good news.”

Meanwhile, a public official claimed that a construction company had purchased the hydrant implicated in the suit, and they had the right to sell water to third parties as long as they maintained payments. 

Nevertheless, a district official insisted that it was still illegal for Selleck and other residents of Hidden Valley to obtain water from a different water district even if they paid. 

While there was some confusion about whether Selleck purchased the water directly from the construction firm or another source, his lawyer, Martin Singer, claimed that his client paid for the water he took and that the Calleguas Municipal Water District admitted that his client didn’t steal the water.

What do you think of Tom Selleck and his family’s decision to live on a ranch? What do you think of the water controversy? Did you know about the drought? Let us know your thoughts — and be sure to pass this on to friends and fans of the actor.