An ex-Morrisville Ambulance Squad official will serve up to three years in state prison for stealing from the struggling ambulance company.

Ruth Roxy Rookstool, 59, of Morrisville, was sentenced Monday to 15 to 36 months behind bars for her part in the thefts and insurance fraud through which she and her co-defendant fleeced the Ambulance Squad and various insurance companies of more than $132,000 over seven years.

Jurors in August convicted Rookstool of theft, insurance fraud and criminal conspiracy after a trial before President Judge Wallace H. Bateman Jr. Rookstool and ex-chief Brian Eckert had been accused of using squad checks and credit cards between 2011 and 2018 for personal expenditures, as well as fraudulently enrolling Rookstool in company insurance benefits.

The ambulance squad has since folded.

Eckert, 42, pleaded guilty in July to theft, forgery, insurance fraud and conspiracy for his part in the scheme and, after testifying at Rookstool’s trial, was sentenced to four to 23 months of house arrest. He was ordered to make $30,785 restitution.

Despite the jury’s verdict and three months at the Bucks County Correctional Facility, Rookstool displayed no remorse when in court this week for sentencing, offering only a non-specific apology without taking responsibility for the harm she caused.

“The Defendant was convicted of a sophisticated series of crimes that were designed to put money in her pocket and deprive the Morrisville Ambulance Squad,” said Deputy District Attorney Marc J. Furber. “The conviction and sentencing of Ruth Roxy Rookstool should send a message that those who steal from volunteer organizations will be held accountable.  Whether they are funded from donations or taxpayer money, these organizations are vital to our communities. The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes and Insurance Fraud Division will continue to investigate, prosecute and convict individuals that, like Ruth Roxy Rookstool, so blatantly treat public funds as their own.”

In addition to her state prison sentence, Judge Bateman also sentenced Rookstool to a concurrent 10-year term of probation, and ordered her to make restitution totaling $101,634.

Her sentencing came on the heels of a pre-sentence investigation report which recommended immediate parole.

This case was investigated by Bucks County Detectives and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Marc J. Furber.

Contact: Marc J. Furber, 215.348.6339, mjfurber@buckscounty.org