District’s Manager Given Probation in Water Theft

The longtime manager of a water district near Ojai was sentenced Wednesday to three years’ probation after pleading no contest to charges that he stole more than $1,300 worth of water for his rental home and horse boarding business.

Ron Singleton, who remains employed as general manager of the Meiners Oaks County Water District, could have received up to three years in prison.

But Ventura County Superior Court Judge Bruce Clark said the case is not serious enough to warrant jail time.

At the request of defense attorneys, Clark reduced the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor. He pointed out that Singleton has no criminal record and that he recently repaid the money owed.

“He did violate a position of trust,” Clark said. “‘But in the totality of the circumstances, this is misdemeanor conduct.”

Singleton was charged in August with one count of utility theft after authorities learned that two water meters on the Ojai property he leased had not measured usage for more than two years.

The water district ultimately billed $380 to an account in Singleton’s name and an additional $942 to an account in the name of his landlord, who has not been charged.

Prosecutors alleged that Singleton used his position as district manager to prevent the agency from accurately billing him or his landlord.

Singleton denied the accusations, but later pleaded no contest to the theft charge.

Before leaving the courthouse Wednesday, Singleton vowed to run a tighter operation. He described his actions as the result of procrastination and being overwhelmed at work and in his personal life.

“I was working too much, going too fast,” he said. “It slipped through.”

It remains to be seen whether Singleton will retain his position as manager of the district.

Board member William Burr said Wednesday that the board had been waiting for the conclusion of the case before taking any action. Singleton has held the post for 21 years.