Ex-school trustee gets probation in ketchup theft

A former school board trustee from southern California has been sentenced to two years of informal probation for stealing a bottle of ketchup from a college dining area.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Jacki Brown also ordered Steve Rocco to pay about $200 in fines and stay 100 metres away from the college.

Rocco was convicted by a jury last month of misdemeanour petty theft for stealing a bottle of ketchup from a Chapman University dining area.

The eccentric former Orange Unified School District trustee known for espousing conspiracy theories claims authorities planted the ketchup near his bicycle to make it look like a theft when he was recycling the bottle.

He says he will appeal.

- The Canadian Press