Three men who damaged an inflatable dam on Alameda Creek in May of last year, wasting just shy of 50 million gallons of water in the process, will be forced to pay a fine as part of their restitution. KQED News reports that the men, one of whom told police they were drunk and stoned at the time of the vandalism, now owe the city of Fremont $100,000.
Drake Elkhouri, Dylan Jeffery, and Zackory Morton are required to pay the Alameda County Water District $55,000 for various costs relating to security, and Elkhouri has to pay an additional $22,000 for the wasted water and $23,000 to the district’s attorneys office.
For those of you keeping track at home, that comes out to .2 cents per gallon.
A fourth man involved in the vandalism, Gavin Palmon, was not included in the agreement.
While at the time it appeared the slashing of the dam was the work of idiot vandals, more of the story has come out in the intervening year. According to KQED, one of the aforementioned idiots told police that he and the other men were drunk and stoned, and jumped on the dam because "they thought it felt like a trampoline.”
“This crime against our water supply was serious and prosecuted accordingly,” said Robert Shaver of the Alameda County Water District. “It’s a settlement while significant, reflects a restitution amount that we feel will actually be paid.”
Elkhouri, who Palmon fingered from his jail cell as the one who did the actual slashing, pleaded guilty to a charge of felony vandalism and will spend a year in in county jail. The other three served 40 days in county jail.
It cost more than $2,000,000 to replace the dam. The water, of course, was wasted — it washed down Alameda Creek and eventually made its way into the bay.
Previously: Some Jerk Wasted Almost 50 Million Gallons Of Water In The Middle Of A DROUGHT
Photo of damaged dam from Alameda County Water District via KQED.
