Jamul
San Diego County sheriff’s deputies are investigating an 80-year-old Jamul man whom they suspect of diverting large amounts of water from the Otay Water District for personal use on his vineyards.
The Sheriff’s Department said deputies from the Lemon Grove station served a search warrant at about 7 a.m. Saturday on the rural Jamul residence of Paul Vesco, who they said may have been unlawfully diverting water for years.
The deputies said they found that Vesco had installed a home-built irrigation system used to divert as much as $128,000 worth of water.
The deputies declined to provide further details.
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