Former teacher to serve 30 days for theft

Former Buckingham Elementary School teacher Dr. Steve Rorke will serve 30 days of a four-year jail sentence for 16 counts of theft, after being convicted of stealing from the Berlin Wal-Mart over an unknown period of time.

Judge Brian Shockley of Snow Hill Circuit Court had suspended most of the sentence last week. He also banned Rorke from that Wal-Mart and ordered him to pay $500 in restitution. That amount was agreed upon by his defense attorney, Michael Farlow, and Deputy State’s Attorney Bill McDermott.

“The Wal-Mart manager testified that he saw Mr. Rorke at least a year in advance, but since the [surveillance] videos only go back for three months, that’s what we know,” McDermott told the court last Friday. “The videos had a less than desirable quality, so the restitution reflects what could be proved.”

Rorke was charged with several counts of theft less than $100 and theft under $10,000 in September. He was acquitted of the felony charge by Shockley during his trial on April 11.

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