Former Bucks detective charged with theft

The lone detective in Solebury Township, Bucks County, resigned Thursday after he was charged with allegedly stealing a $25 construction tool, a level, from a township resident's home and trying to cover it up.

Det. Roy Ferrari, 66, of New Hope, admitted to county detectives that he took the level during "a moment of weakness," according to criminal complaint filed against him. When the township resident asked police to investigate, Ferrari allegedly tried to delete footage of the home's security camera that captured him in the act. He faces four misdemeanor counts.

His attorney, William Goldman, said Ferrari is well respected after more than three decades in law enforcement and is "extremely remorseful."

Ferrari was a lead investigator of an ongoing sexual abuse probe into the private Solebury School. The investigation began more than a year ago to determine the scope of alleged abuses of students over the course of six decades.

Monica Furber, the Bucks County prosecutor on the case, declined to comment on how Ferrari's resignation could impact the continuing investigation, which involves several alleged victims dating back to the 1950s.

- Ben Finley