The Honorable Kale Burdick, when he presided from the bench of the Holt County court in O’Neill on April 11, set aside a conviction for Rebecca D. Strong, 48, of Ewing.

The action nullifies Strong’s October 2020 conviction of a Class 2 misdemeanor, theft by deception. Burdick ruled that Strong is “unlikely to engage in further criminal activity and it is in her best interest and is consistent with the public interest” to grant the request. In her petition for set aside, Strong said she successfully completed probation, had no further convictions and has been a law-abiding citizen since the con...