BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) – Derry’s former School Board chairman will spend a year in jail after admitting he stole thousands of dollars from his Salem employer to pay for family trips, home improvements and online pornography.

Charles Hawkins, 44, of Derry stole about $56,000 from National Aperture, Inc., in Salem while working as a bookkeeper, then chief financial officer, between 2001 and 2004.

At the time, he also served on the Derry School Board and was known for being a financial supporter to after-school programs and his church. The donations came from money he stole, according to indictments.

His guilty plea on Friday was part of a deal he struck with prosecutors.

Hawkins is required to pay the company $60,000 by Nov. 6 and serve a year in county jail, starting in January. Had he been convicted by a jury, he could have faced up to 15 years in prison.

Rockingham County Superior Court Judge Tina Nadeau reluctantly accepted the deal.

“I don’t like this (sentence), but I’m going to accept it,” Nadeau said. “You need to understand if there’s one wrong move, you will serve a 3- to 7-year prison sentence.”

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