Former South Walton Mosquito District Commissioner Sentenced
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Updated: 9:13 PM Jul 10, 2008
Former South Walton Mosquito District Commissioner Sentenced
A DeFuniak Springs judge sentenced Former South Walton County Mosquito District Commissioner Charles Burke after being charged last month with voter fraud and falsifying documents.
Posted: 5:07 PM Jul 10, 2008
Reporter: Alex Denis

Charlie Burke
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A South Walton County Mosquito Control commissioner is sentenced after he was found guilty of voter fraud and falsifying documents.

Charlie Burke claimed to live at an address in Walton County, although prosecutors proved he lived in Panama City Beach with his wife. A DeFuniak Springs judge sentenced Burke today requiring him to give back much more than just his time.

When Charlie Burke was elected to serve as a commissioner for the South Walton Mosquito Control district, he claimed to live in Walton County, but when he filed paperwork to run for a county commissioner's seat, his place of residency was questioned.

Soon after the investigation started, Gov. Charlie Christ removed Burke from his post. The current director of Mosquito Control, Stephen Sickerman, never worked with Burke but says the whole ordeal interrupted the process of the office.

Stephen Sickerman said, "The only thing that I could tell really from my standpoint was that it was a distraction."

Judge Kelvin Wells decided Burke will have to pay for those distractions with two years probation, 100 hours of community service, and $2,600 in fines and investigation bills.

It doesn't stop there. The big one is that he will have to return the salary he earned as a Mosquito Control board member. Sickerman couldn't comment on Burke's sentencing, but he did say that the entire office can't wait to put this behind them and hopefully regain a new commissioner soon.

"I look forward to having a third commissioner back on board."

Before the commissioner's seat can be filled, Gov. Christ will have to formally notify the Department of Agriculture that the position is ready to be filled.


Latest Comments

Posted by: John Location: WaterSound on Jun 23, 2010 at 08:43 AM

Yesterday the 1st District Court of Appeals through out the sentence Charlie received in this case. Nice going Judge Wells. They through you a hanging ball and you blew it.
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