Iowa Man Booked For Theft Of Public Utilities

An Iowa man is spending time at the Jeff Davis Parish jail after repeatedly tampering with water supply lines near his home.

Thirty-year- old Joshua Villnav was arrested for theft of utilities yesterday following an investigation that began when water district employees noticed something was out of place on their route.

The Sheriff's Department was notified by the water district of a complaint that someone had removed the lock from a residential water meter on Bell Road on two occasions. So, in early May, the water service employees then removed the water meter but noticed on a subsequent visit that the line had been reconnected to the meter without a check valve or meter.

The investigation revealed Joshua Villnav, 30, of Bell Road, Iowa had reconnected the residence to the water source without authorization and without a proper safety valve to ensure water purity.