A Shaler couple is facing felony theft and other charges after Ross police allege they kept money from their insurance company intended to pay ambulance bills from Ross/West View EMS.
Police filed charges Wednesday, June 3 against Wallace Hodge, 57, and Stacie Ellen Hodge, 43.
According to a criminal complaint, the Hodges had received nearly $8,000 from Highmark to pay the ambulance bills but never paid Ross/West View EMS for the services provided.
Dr. Phil Nawrocki, medical director of Ross/West View EMS, did not comment on this case specifically, but said the issue of people getting money from their insurance companies that they then do not send to ambulance companies is a “hot button topic.”
“There are some individuals who abuse the system and end up pocketing that money,” he said. “There have been cases where individuals will call on an almost monthly basis just for the purpose of getting that check and that never gets sent to the ambulance company.”
On Feb. 27, a Ross police detective met with the billing specialist for Ross/West View EMS, who reported that Stacie Hodge had been taken by ambulance to a hospital five times in 2025 — on March 29, July 26, Aug. 13, Oct. 31 and Dec. 26 — and once in 2026, on Jan. 28, the complaint states.
Police said that records provided to them showed that Stacie Hodge had submitted claims to Highmark for each of the trips, which in turn issued checks directly to her. The money received from Highmark was to pay Ross/West View EMS for the services provided, the complaint states.
Highmark gave police copies of the checks, which were issued to Stacie Hodge and endorsed by her and her husband, Wallace Hodge, according to the complaint. The checks were deposited into Wallace Hodge’s checking accounts.
There were two checks for $1,029.60 deposited on Aug. 11 and Aug. 25, 2025; a check for $2,182.48 deposited on Sept. 2, 2025; $1,293 deposited on Nov. 13, 2025; $1,285.50 deposited on Jan. 13; and $1,033.20 deposited on Feb. 13.
According to the complaint, Stacie Hodge told police she used the money from the insurance company to pay bills.
The Hodges had not been arraigned as of Wednesday and did not have an attorney listed in court records.
They are each charged with felony counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds and criminal conspiracy, and a misdemeanor count of theft of services.