CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Like many homeowners, Stephan Laurent-Faesi didn't think he'd have to worry about his utilities.
“Stealing is obviously wrong," he said. "But stealing water how low can you get?”
Yes, Laurent-Faesi had water stolen from his ocean area home, while he was out of town.
He said he went to his backyard to water his plants when he returned home on Sunday. The hose was disconnected, which was unusual. It’s difficult to reconnect because it’s old. When he turned his spigot on, he got another tell tale sign.
“I tried to turn it on and the sprayer was completely messed up," Laurent-Faesi said. "It sprayed me instead of spraying out. So, whoever had done that probably also messed up.”
He thinks the culprit likely came through his back gate, as it tends to swing open on windy days.
“It’s obvious that it can be a problem. So, we have to make sure our gate is always secure,” he said.
Laurent-Faesi said there's no telling how much water was stolen. He said he'll have to wait for his water bill. He learned that this theft might be a trend in his neighborhood.
“After posting on Nextdoor, I noticed that quite a few others of our neighbors had suffered the same fate,” he said.
A quick internet search will find that you can buy locks for a spigot.
“I did not know that," Laurent-Faesi said. "I’ll look into it, but the first step is obviously to make sure that, that gate is always secured.”
You can find hose bib locks at places like Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart or Amazon. They're priced as low as $8 and as high as $98.
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