Ex-Andover Teacher Gets Suspended Sentence After Guilty Plea

ANDOVER, MA -- The former Andover middle school teacher who was accused of using his young child to steal from a video game at the Mall at Rockingham in Salem, NH entered a guilty plea to lesser charges Thursday. Anthony Helinski, 35, of Lawrence, was fined $1,000 and sentenced to 90 days in a house of correction. Half of the fine and the jail sentence were suspended two years pending good behavior.

Helinski was also ordered to pay $100 restitution, stay out of the mall for two years, perform 50 hours of community service and seek counseling after pleading guilty to criminal trespass. The charge was reduced from three counts of theft, two counts of criminal trespassing and a count of endangering the welfare of a child as part of a plea deal.

Helinski resigned from his $85,000 a year job at at the Doherty Middle School after his arrest in September. Police say Helsinki stuffed his toddler daughter into an arcade game at The Mall at Rockingham Park to steal prizes. Helsinki turned himself into Salem, NH Police after investigators distributed video of the incident to the media in an effort to identify him.

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).