PINE COVE – (INT) - A Mead Valley man has been accused of stealing massive amounts of water to operate a clandestine marijuana farm in the San Jacinto Mountains.

Riverside County sheriff’s investigators say that Joel Vargas-Hernandez tapped into a fire hydrant underground, to supply water to an illegal marijuana cultivation in the San Bernardino National Forest near Pine Cove.

The Pine Cove water district estimated that approximately 1.5 million gallons of water with an estimated value of over $17,000.00 was stolen.

Several search warrants lead investigators them to a residence on Parson’s Road in Mead Valley where Vargas-Hernandez, 28, was arrested.

Story Date: September 29, 2017