EXCLUSIVE: Ronald Smith, West Basin Water District Director Arrested

UPDATE, Thursday, July 31, 10 a.m.

The West Basin Municipal Water District has issued the following statement regarding the arrest of Director Ronald Smith to Hews Media Group-Community Newspaper.

“West Basin Municipal Water District has learned that Ronald C. Smith, a West Basin Board member, was arrested on 26 July 2014 for alleged charges of embezzlement of public funds and giving false affidavits. West Basin would like to emphasize that this situation does not reflect the hard work and dedication of the District. West Basin is an industry leader in water conservation, water recycling and water reliability.

With regard to the charges:

Mr. Smith has been charged with the following crimes:

• Penal Code section 424(A) – Two Counts. This crime involves embezzlement of public funds.

• Government Code section 1090 – One Count. This section prohibits a government official from having a financial interest in a contract entered into by his agency.

• Penal Code section 118(A) – Four Counts. This statute makes it a crime to file a false affidavit.

• We do not know the facts that underlie these charges.”

Below is the original post:

 This is Breaking News:

Hews Media Group-Community Newspaper has learned exclusively that Ronald Craig Smith, a Director with the West Basin Municipal Water District has been arrested.

A $100,000 bail has been assigned to the case.

According to booking records, Smith was taken into custody by the Torrance Police Department on  Monday at 11:30 a.m.

West Basin Municipal Water District Director Ron Smith.

Smith is due to appear in Torrance Superior Court on August 12, according to the booking information.

HMG-CN is working on specific details about the arrest of Smith and will have additional details as they develop.

–Randy Economy and Brian Hews Reporting

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