Court order shuts down Newcomerstown Emergency Rescue Squad
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (May 22, 2023) – The organization that handled emergency calls in Newcomerstown for decades until losing its nonprofit status will cease to exist after next Wednesday.
That’s the court-imposed deadline for the Newcomerstown Emergency Rescue Squad to stop providing fire protection, ambulance, and emergency response services. Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court Judge Elizabeth Thomakos set the timeline last Wednesday, also appointing a receiver to take control of the organization’s bank accounts, records, and assets including the David Barber Civic Center. She did so at the request of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, finding there was good cause to believe NERS failed to meet the reporting requirements for non-profits, breached its fiduciary duties, and abused its charitable status.
The Newcomerstown-based Tri-County Ambulance District continues to provide emergency medical services in the village, which now has its own volunteer fire department.