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Family Survives Rowlett Tornado, Falls Victim To Water Thief

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ROWLETT (CBSDFW.COM) - A family survived a tornado, only to fall victim to a water thief whose actions flooded their Rowlett home.

The thief broke the lock on Casey Vanschaik's water meter, causing water to spew from the pipes. Her home was targeted since it's the only house left on their side of the block with running water.

"There was water everywhere! They took my water hose out and turned on the water," said Casey Vanschaik. The thief then dragged the hose from Vanschaik's spigot to a home two properties over where workers are demolishing a home; eventually leaving it still gushing water. The water flowed through and out of the Vanschaik's damaged plumbing. It flooded cabinets and a garage full of belongings.

"You can see the mold growing now," said Vanschaik about the damage. "You don't have that much leftover that wasn't ruined and now‚ what else can happen?"

The general contractor working the neighbor's demolition said whoever stole the Vanschaik's water wasn't working for him. Police are searching for someone his subcontractors claimed they saw with the hose, but Vanschaik isn't buying the story.

"It just doesn't add up. This other person… in this other white truck… doesn't add up," said Vanschaik, adding that she feels "completely violated."

Vanschaik said the city is not charging them for the 1500 gallons used that day. Police, meanwhile, said they discovered general contractor working on the neighbor's house did not take out a permit to do so. He's expected to correct that oversight by Friday.

(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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