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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A former treasurer for Germania Hose Co. in Duryea charged with stealing more than $102,000 from the first responder agency waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Luzerne County Central Court.</p><p>Duryea police in November charged Eric John Wruble, 42, of Swetland Street, Duryea, alleging he stole cash to pay personal bills and buy a 2009 Dodge pickup truck, and used a Germania credit card to purchase gas-powered lawn tools since 2009.</p><p>Wruble allegedly told police he had trouble paying bills when his grandmother was placed in a hospice and his mother became ill. He also claimed he was unemployed for several months, according to court records.</p><p>Wruble claimed he wrote in the &#8220;Memo&#8221; section of each check &#8220;roof repair,&#8221; &#8220;drain repair,&#8221; &#8220;masonry repair,&#8221; or &#8220;water heater replacement&#8221; as a way to track how much money he had taken from the hose company, court records say.</p><p>Police alleged Wruble had other Germania members pre-sign checks at different times as the hose company required two signatures on each check.</p><p>Germania officials notified police in August when they discovered alleged irregularities in their bank accounts that showed Wruble wrote and forged checks to himself. Officials reviewed their accounts after a longtime bookkeeper passed away.</p><p>An audit of Germania&#8217;s accounts allegedly revealed Wruble had taken money from the apparatus and building fund accounts, and deposited the funds into several personal accounts.</p><p>One of those accounts Wruble opened in November 2012 was a $27,374.85 loan when he purchased a 2009 Dodge pickup truck. Police learned the Dodge was repossessed in December 2014.</p><p>Germania&#8217;s bank records showed Wruble wrote and forged 168 checks from 2009 to August, court records say.</p><p>Wruble was initially charged with 187 counts of forgery, 135 counts of access device fraud, seven counts of secure execution of documents by deception and one count each of theft, receiving stolen property and unsworn falsification to authorities.</p><p>At Tuesday&#8217;s hearing, Wruble waived two counts of access device fraud and one count each of theft, receiving stolen property, forgery, unsworn falsification to authorities and secure execution of documents by deception to county court. The remaining charges were withdrawn by prosecutors.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wruble </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Eric-Wruble-FB.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wruble </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ed Lewis</p><p>elewis@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Ex-fire company treasurer charged with theft waives hearing