The former Lodi Area EMS chief and assistant chief are facing felony theft charges after allegedly taking over $20,000 worth of donated medical equipment, the Tribune Enterprise reports.
Russell Schafer of Columbus and Bobbi Brown of Arlington each face a single count of theft of movable property as party to a crime. They were charged in Columbia County Circuit Court on July 17.
The Lodi Police Department was tipped off to potential suspicious activity by an audit of the Lodi Area EMS, according to an April 22 criminal complaint filed by the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office.
During the audit, the equipment discovered to be missing included three monitor/defibrillators — one of which was a Zoll Medical Corp. X-Series worth between $23,000-$30,000. It had been donated by the Cuba City Area Rescue Squad in March 2023 amid the department’s dissolution.
