Ambulance Squad Treasurer Found Guilty By Jury

A jury found the former Morrisville Ambulance Squad treasurer and operations supervisor guilty of stealing from the organization after a four-day trial.

Ruth Roxy Rookstool, 59, of Morrisville, was found guilty Tuesday by the jury of theft, insurance fraud, and conspiracy to comitt insurance fraud after an hour and 12 minutes of deliberation., according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.

Bucks County President Judge Wallace Bateman ordered Rookstool to be held after increasing her bail to $100,000. She was led out of the courtroom by sheriff’s deputies.

Rookstool and former squad Chief Brian Eckert, 42, of Falls Township, were accused last fall on charges of theft and misusing resources. The two were involved with unauthorized payments between 2011 and 2018 that were used to cover personal debts and expenses. The two allegedly attempted to get health and dental insurance for Rookstool after she stopped working for the squad, authorities said.

The thefts and fraud from the emergency services organization totaled more than $132,000.

Eckert, who is free on bail and will be sentenced next week, pleaded guilty for his role in the crime in July and testified against Rookstool.

Bucks County Detectives began investigating possible theft from the squad last summer.

Last year, the Morrisville Ambulance Squad closed after years of financial problems and was replaced by a service contracted through Capital Health System. The Morrisville Ambulance Squad served all of the borough and roughly 12 percent of 34,000-resident Falls Township, including a number of large industrial sites.