Former Central Bucks pupil services director sues – Bucks County Round-Up – September 24, 2025
Former Central Bucks pupil services director sues
Former Central Bucks School District director of pupil services Alyssa Wright sued CBSD and eight of its school directors, stating the district scapegoated her after she complained about the conduct of a child abuse investigation. The litigation stems from school employees’ alleged abuse of autistic children at Jamison Elementary School. The scandal has led to Superintendent Steven Yanni and Principal David Heineman being placed on leave. Wright’s new complaint argues she had no authority over the CBSD’s internal investigation of the matter and alleges the Yanni administration kept her only minimally informed of the probe’s proceedings. The plaintiff also rebukes the district for initially allowing staffers accused of abuse to continue their duties at Jamison and faults Heineman for allegedly attempting to fire the personal-care aide who first spoke out about the potential abuse.
Man to serve up to 30 years for sexual abuse of adopted daughter
A Northampton Township man will serve up to three decades behind bars after admitting to years of sexual abuse against his adopted daughter. Michael Abel, 48, was sentenced Tuesday in Bucks County Court to consecutive prison terms totaling 10 to 30 years. He pleaded guilty in June to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, corruption of minors, and indecent assault. Common Pleas Judge Stephen A. Corr handed down the sentence, which includes a lifetime requirement to register as a Megan’s Law offender. The case began on December 11, 2024, when Northampton Township Police received a child abuse report involving Abel’s then 11-year-old daughter, adopted from China in 2016. Detective Ryan Jumper led the investigation. During a forensic interview, the girl disclosed five separate incidents of sexual abuse between January 2021 and December 2024. Abel was arrested on January 9, 2025, and prosecutors moved forward with the case, led by Deputy District Attorney Davide E. O’Beirne and Assistant District Attorney Sara Salvo. “This sentencing ensures that the defendant will not be able to harm any other children for a very long time,” prosecutors said in a statement following the hearing. The conviction underscores Bucks County’s ongoing push to aggressively prosecute crimes against children, an issue that has drawn increased public concern in recent years.
Bucks County proclaims September ‘Suicide Prevention Month‘
At its recent meeting the Bucks County Commissioners adopted a proclamation declaring September as Suicide Prevention Month, spotlighting a local effort to connect residents in crisis with immediate help through the National Suicide Hotline: 988. Dan Fuller, associate Executive Director of Crisis Services at the Lenape Valley Foundation — which operates offices in Doylestown and Bristol — said the nonprofit now serves as Bucks County’s 988 suicide and lifeline crisis call center. Fuller noted that when someone dials 988 “they are connected to trained crisis counselors right here in our community, people who understand local resources and provide immediate help.” He added that the foundation is committed to answering every call “with empathy, respect and a pathway toward safety and healing,” and reminded listeners that no one has to face a mental-health crisis alone. Commissioner Vice Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia used the proclamation to highlight a grassroots outreach campaign that paired public health advocates with law enforcement contacts and private businesses. Ellis-Marseglia thanked the Bucks County District Attorney’s office and detectives Jeff Jumper and Bill Mooney for joining her at local gun shops to ask owners to include 988 informational cards with purchases. “They went out with me to gun shops and took time out of their day to help me to be able to ask gun shops to be able to put these 988 cards in their products and to spread the word,” she said, praising the cooperation of shop owners. Ellis-Marseglia also stressed a worrying local trend: Men age 55 and older in Bucks County are dying by suicide at higher rates, a demographic pattern she said county leaders are working to address through outreach and prevention measures. She urged anyone experiencing thoughts of taking their own life to reach out to the 988 hotline immediately. The proclamation and the outreach push reflect a community-centered approach that pairs trained local crisis counselors, law enforcement, and small businesses to broaden awareness of a simple, nationwide resource: Dialing 988 connects callers to help now.
Woman accused of setting multiple fires to defraud insurance
A Bristol Township woman faces serious charges after police say she set her home on fire multiple times in just 24 hours to collect insurance money. Police say 59-year-old Catherine Gerretz deliberately started four fires at her Yellowood Drive home before a fifth blaze left the property uninhabitable. Gerretz was arraigned Wednesday, on 14 felony counts, including arson and insurance fraud, and is being held at Bucks County Corrections Center on $200,000 bail. Investigators say the fires began on June 10, with the first causing minor damage to the carport. Fire officials discovered additional intentionally set fires at the property, some using gas-based accelerants. Less than 24 hours later, a final fire engulfed the home and spread to a neighbor’s house. Police reviewed hotel surveillance, cell tower data, and vehicle tracking technology to place Gerretz near the scene at the time of the last fire, contradicting her account of events. When questioned, she ended the interview. The insurer reportedly paid for Gerretz to stay in a hotel after the first fire, estimating $243,000 to replace the home. Police say she had stopped paying her mortgage in 2023 and owed over $103,000, with the property facing a sheriff sale. Gerretz also faces charges of witness intimidation, stemming from threatening notes allegedly left for neighbors, and misdemeanor theft charges for stealing a friend’s wallet days before the fires.
Joe LeCompte hosts LeCompte in the Morning on WBCB 1490. Bradley Vasoli is the senior editor of The Independence.
