A former Osoyoos teacher – whose house burned to the ground this week – will be sentenced June 23 after admitting stealing more than $40,000.

Michael Raymond McWhinnie (born 1946) – was first charged February 3, 2013 – with fraud and theft from the Osoyoos Rural Fire Protection District. He had served as a trustee for a number of years.

He pled guilty March 26, 2014 (more than a year later).

The fire, which began around the supper hour on Wednesday, destroyed the McWhinnie home on Osoyoos’s East Bench north of 38th on 33rd Street.

McWhinnie had taught elementary school, locally, for more than three decades.

42034 – Court records
380 (1) Fraud
334(a) Theft Over $5000