Plumstead Police arrest former restaurant manager in child exploitation case – Bucks Round-Up – December 30, 2025
Plumstead Police arrest former restaurant manager in child exploitation case
Plumstead Township police have charged a former restaurant manager with multiple felony offenses involving minors. Richard “Ricky” Brooks, of Freehold, New Jersey, is accused of grooming juvenile employees and providing them with alcohol, marijuana cartridges, nicotine products, and prescription medication between 2020 and 2024. Investigators say Brooks committed similar acts while managing a Wendy’s in Doylestown and at his residence in the Fonthill Apartments. One charge alleges Brooks indecently assaulted a juvenile male employee while on the job. Brooks was arraigned December 24, bail was set at $100,000, and he remains in Bucks County Prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 12, 2026.
Warrington approves new townhome development
Warrington Township officials unanimously approved plans for a new mixed-use development along Easton Road. The project, known as Valley Ridge, is being proposed by Carlino Commercial Development and will bring 32 townhomes to a 4.52-acre site between Georges Lane and Valley Square Boulevard. The plan also includes a daycare facility on Valley Square Boulevard and a pad site for future retail use along Route 611, though no tenant has been announced. The townhomes will be built in clusters of four units and include roughly 8,500 square feet of open space. A new internal road with sidewalks will connect to Valley Square Boulevard and will be maintained by the development’s homeowners association. Two existing homes on the property are slated for demolition.
Randall Avenue bridge nears reopening
After nearly three years of closures, construction work on Bristol Township’s Randall Avenue bridge is complete, with a final inspection expected in January. Township Manager Randee Mazur told council that all township-funded construction wrapped up in December, including new and replacement guardrails and repairs to the bridge’s abutments and underside. The bridge, which crosses over Amtrak rail lines, will not reopen until PennDOT inspectors conduct a final review. That inspection is expected sometime in January 2026. Council President Craig Bowen acknowledged the frustration residents have felt during the extended closure, citing coordination with PennDOT and Amtrak as the final hurdle. “The township’s done with the work, now we have to wait on the bureaucracy, which is PennDOT and Amtrak,” he said. “Amtrak has to get under there and shut down one of its rails and it’s a bureaucratic nightmare; hopefully by January, we’ll be cranking.” Amtrak must temporarily shut down rail service beneath the bridge to allow inspectors access. The bridge was closed in February 2023 after continued deterioration led to chunks of concrete falling onto the active rail line below, raising serious safety concerns.
Joe LeCompte hosts LeCompte in the Morning on WBCB 1490.
