South Okanagan woman pleads guilty to stealing PAC funds
An Oliver woman accused of fraud following a lengthy investigation into the alleged theft of funds from Oliver Elementary School’s Parent Advisory Council entered a guilty plea in Penticton Supreme Court today.
Belinda Yorke, born in 1972, appeared before Justice Gary Weatherill in Supreme Court in Penticton today, Feb. 24, and pleaded guilty to a single count of theft over $5,000.
Yorke is accused of using her position as treasurer to misappropriate funds from the advisory committee’s bank account between June, 2016 and January, 2018.
The missing funds were reported to Oliver RCMP in January, 2018, which launched an investigation that took a year and a half to complete.
Defence lawyer Michael Patterson requested a pre-sentence report, which was granted.
Yorke’s next scheduled court appearance is for a sentencing hearing on April 27, 2020.
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