Bucks Co Detectives Charge Morrisville Man with Rape, Sexual Assault

Bucks County last month held a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil the newly constructed Diversion, Assessment, Restoration and Treatment (DART) Center in Doylestown Township.

Expected to begin accepting residents this month, the 23,000 square-foot facility will serve adults with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use issues who are involved with the criminal justice system.

“We have wanted to do something about this problem – to get people diverted from the criminal justice system,” said Commissioner Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW. “But one piece of the puzzle was missing. It was this place.”

Through treatment and skill development, the Center will operate with the goals of diverting people from incarceration, reducing days of incarceration, reducing utilization of State institutions and reducing recidivism.

The DART Center houses three distinct tracks within this Residential Treatment Center for Adults:

• Short-Term Assessment and Stabilization – A safe transitional opportunity assessment and referral (up to eight individuals)
• Restoration of Competency Unit – For individuals involved in the criminal justice system who have been deemed Incompetent to Stand Trial (up to four individuals)
• Community Integration – A space for individuals in need of treatment and daily living skill development to support movement to more independent living in the community (up to 16 individuals)

At full capacity, the DART can simultaneously serve up to 28 people.

Bucks County has hired the GEO Group to manage day-to-day operations at the DART Center, with oversight from Bucks County BH/DP.

“Right now, there’s a person, maybe more than one, who doesn’t even know that the DART Center exists. They are somewhere hard, in a cell somewhere, trying to get through another day [in a world] that has told them they’re too complicated to help,” said Dr. Mathew Abraham, Senior Director of Treatment and Program Development for GEO. “That person is going to find their way here, and when they do, they will walk through a door that says, ‘we see you, you are worth all of this.’”

Located on the grounds of the former Women’s Community Corrections Center, construction on the DART began in late 2023.

Credit: Submitted

The total projected cost to build the facility is about $19.8 million. The County has paid for the construction with a combination of mostly federal and state funds, with about $1.8 million coming from the County’s General Fund.

“Today marks an important milestone for Bucks County, because we are not simply opening a building,” said General Services Director Bernard Griggs. “We are opening a pathway to a more compassionate, affective approach to mental health and criminal justice.

General contracting work on the project was performed by Magnum, Inc., with architecture services by USA Architects, engineering by Carroll Engineering and Windward, electrical work by the Farfield Company, mechanical services by Integrity Mechanical, Inc., plumbing services by Vision Mechanical, fire protection work by Guy M. Cooper Mechanical and construction management by Jingoli.

Commissioner Vice Chair Bob Harvie, speaking  to a crowd of County officials and community stakeholders gathered to mark the DART’s opening, reflected on the questions that drove the facility’s planning years before its construction.

“What could we do on this spot that could make a difference?” he said. “What can we do on this spot that has meaning for people who really need help at a time that might be the lowest in their lives, that serves a purpose, and helps law enforcement and the criminal justice system appropriately handle people who shouldn’t be in a prison, but end up there because there is nowhere else to go?”

The DART Center is just the latest effort by the County to improve mental health services for Bucks County residents, especially those whose illness brings them into contact with the criminal justice system.

One ongoing effort is the award-winning Human Services Co-Responders Program, which embeds social workers in police departments to assist officers when encountering people in need of social services. Since launching in 2020 with the Bensalem Police Department, the program has expanded to serve more than two dozen police departments countywide.

In partnership with the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, the County has also established specialized court programs to address the unique needs of qualifying offenders, including Recovery Court, Wellness Court and Veterans Treatment Court. These programs have been nationally recognized and are instructive for similar programs across the country.

PHOTO: Jeff Contino, Director of the Diversion, Assessment, Restoration and Treatment (DART) Center, on Feb. 25, 2026, leads Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan, Sheriff Danny Ceisler, Prothonotary Donna Petrecco and others in a tour of the newly completed facility. Credit: Submitted

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and the Falls Township Police Department have filed criminal charges against a 38-year-old woman in connection with the overdose death of her roommate.

Christina Gallo, of the Morrisville section of Falls Township was arraigned by District Judge John Galloway on Tuesday on charges of death by drug delivery, drug distribution,  misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter and related offenses.

Gallo was remanded to the custody of Bucks County Correctional after Galloway set bail at 10 percent of $250,000.00.

According to investigators,  Gallo not only supplied the lethal drugs that killed 34-year-old Mary Wells but also systematically stole the victim’s money and attempted to frame others for the crime.

On Jan. 2, 2025, Wells was found unresponsive at the residence she shared with Gallo at 4352 Dover Drive in the Pennwood Crossing trailer park. She was later pronounced dead at Jefferson-Bucks Hospital, said investigators in the probable cause.

An autopsy and toxicology report revealed  Wells died from a lethal combination of fentanyl, xylazine (Tranq), methamphetamine, methadone, and para-fluorofentanyl. Investigators recovered straws and blue wax bags at the scene. Laboratory testing by NMS Labs confirmed that the bags contained a potent mixture of fentanyl, xylazine, and para-fluorofentanyl, the same substances found in the victim’s blood, detectives wrote in the probable cause.

Investigators discovered that Wells was a daily fentanyl user who had been too ill to leave her home in the days leading up to her death. Cell site data and text messages confirmed that Wells remained at the Dover Drive residence from Dec. 31, 2024, until her death.

The “comprehensive” investigation identified Gallo as the primary source of the drugs, alleging she regularly drove to the Kensington to purchase fentanyl for Wells. According to text messages recovered by investigators from Dec. 22, 2024, which showed both women expressing excitement at being able to purchase a particular brand of fentanyl, a potent mixture highly sought after by users.

Gallo made the final delivery of that brand of fentanyl to Wells on Jan. 1, 2025, approximately 16 hours before her death. While Gallo initially attempted to shift blame to other individuals, investigators used digital evidence and interviews to disprove her claims and confirm her role as the final distributor.

The investigation, according to the criminal complaint further revealed a pattern of financial exploitation following the victim’s death. Police found that Gallo allegedly used Wells’ EBT and debit cards to make multiple fraudulent purchases and withdrawals.

The victim’s family, including her daughter, informed investigators that these stolen funds could have been used to provide Wells with a proper funeral. Instead, the family lacked the resources for a service while Gallo allegedly exhausted the victim’s accounts for her own use, detectives said in court records.

“The details of this case are as heartbreaking as they are infuriating,” said Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan. “Not only did the defendant deliver the very poison that ended the victim’s life, but she then chose to further victimize the family by systematically draining the victim’s financial accounts in the days following her death.”

Falls Township Police Chief Nelson Whitney emphasized that the charges are the result of a seamless partnership between local and county investigators.

“People who struggle with substance use disorder deserve our compassion and help, but those who take advantage of their suffering deserve swift justice and punishment,” Whitney said. “This case is a tragedy for the Wells family, and my heart goes out to them and so many other families who know the pain that comes with having a loved one immersed in substance use.”

“This case is also an important example of the dedication of the professional investigators involved and the high level of coordination between the Falls Township Police Department and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office,” Whitney continued. “Together, we are committed to making the community safer and to holding all those who seek to imperil that safety accountable under the law.”

A co-defendant, identified as John “Twitch” Lindsay, 44, of Bensalem, is also alleged to have delivered doses of methamphetamine to the victim during the same period. He was charged Tuesday with two counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and was sent to BCCF on $50,000 bail.

The charges against Christina Gallo follow a joint investigation by Bucks County Detective Jarrod Eisenhauer and Falls Township Detective John Vella. This case is assigned for prosecution to Deputy District Attorney Chad Kovack.

Gallo is due back in court on March 25 for a preliminary hearing and has no attorney of record listed according to online court records. Gallo was also charged by Falls Twp Police in what appears to be a separate incident with misdemeanor drug offenses dating back to last month.

The Falls Township Police Department is rolling out a community connect program to keep residents and callers up to date on calls for service for through digital technology. 

The automated  notification system program was announced last year after being the department was awarded a grant that fully funds the effort for the first year it is implemented.

“We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Versaterm and their Community Connect platform.  Beginning Monday, March 16,  residents and callers who contact Falls Township Police for help will receive timely text updates confirming their call was received, outlining next steps and providing a case number,” Lt Chris Clark, said.

These updates are designed to reduce uncertainty while residents wait for assistance, improve transparency, and strengthen communication between Falls Township Police and the community, Clark explained.