Man Breaks into Elsa Water Plant

Suspect caught with stolen property

ELSA - An Elsa man could face serious federal charges, after breaking into the city's water plant.

Police say the man shattered windows, took off burglar bars, and made his way into the Public Works director's office. He allegedly ransacked the office, then stole a computer and other items.

A morning crew discovered the mess. And police tracked down the suspect, who was a couple of blocks away. They found him with the city's computer and the rest of the stolen property.

"It is a federal offense, if you're not a municipal employee to enter into the premises after hours," says Elsa City Manager Paul Vazaldua.

Now police are making sure the thief didn't tamper with the water supply. The office contained the heart of the water plant, the SCADA system. It measures the levels and quality of water. If tampered with, it could shut down the plant.

"We haven't been able to see that there was any tampering with the water quality. I think that right now the indicators show the water is safe and drinkable," says the city manager.

We spoke to one Elsa family who say the break-in was a close call. Regina Martinez says it could've put the community in danger.

But Vazaldua says he wants to assure resident that everything is okay.

NEWSCHANNEL 5 learned if someone was to contaminate Elsa's water supply, a back-up system would kick in. We're told it would provide 12 hours of purified water to the community, while the problem is being fixed.