BRENTWOOD — A former Exeter property manager pleaded guilty Friday to felony charges that he stole $67,000 from three condominium associations as a way to pay bills for other properties he managed, prosecutors said.

Robert Clarke, 53, of Newbury, was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence and a $500 fine as part of a plea deal approved by his victims.

Clarke pleaded guilty to three counts of felony theft by unauthorized taking and a single count of issuing a bad check.

Exeter police culled through hundreds of documents showing a pattern of theft which prosecutors described as “robbing Peter to pay Paul” to cover a variety of bills for utilities and other expenses.

“There was no indication that he was taking money for his own benefit,” Assistant County Attorney Michael Zaino said on Friday.

Clarke has fully repaid the condominium associations the missing money and legal costs as part of a separate civil settlement brought by the victims, according to Zaino.

Clarke admitted writing a bad check to the Exeter Water Department and taking money from the three condominium associations between September 2009 and May 2011. He operated Clarke Property Management LLC of Exeter, managing Exeter West Luxury Condominiums, Exeter Woods Condominiums, and the McReel Condominium Associations, according to indictments.

Exeter police began their investigation after one of the condominium associations was notified that it had delinquent accounts involving utilities, and was threatened with having its water and electricity shut off, according to court documents.

Zaino said Exeter police Detective Sgt. Stephen Poulin reviewed upwards of a 1,000 documents as part of the investigation. “He did a phenomenal job going through all those records,” Zaino said.

The investigation eventually revealed that approximately $67,000 in funds missing from various banks accounts, according to prosecutors.

Had Clarke decided to go on trial, he would have faced the prospect of state prison time. His four Class A felony convictions each carry up to a 7½- to 15-year state prison sentence.

jkimble@newstote.com