Zoning Officer Among 3 Murdered at Council Meeting

2013 - Newell is accused of shooting three people to death at a Ross Township meeting on the evening of Aug. 5, 2013.

New details emerging about accused Ross Township shooter Rockne Newell reveal that he had been institutionalized twice in mental health facilities and left the U.S. Army soon after joining with an honorable medical discharge.

The revelations come from family members who said Newell, 60, of Ross Township, had mental health issues dating back to his childhood.

They described a lifetime of hoarding that started even as a teen, and bizarre, uncontrollable rages.

Newell had a nearly 20-year running dispute with the township over code violations on his property, including open sewage, a large junk collection scattered in his yard and several non-permitted structures on the property where he lived.

The township finally condemned his property and sold it at a sheriff's sale in July 2013.

Newell had talked with his dad about shooting the township's supervisors prior to the incident.

Newell arrived during that Monday night meeting and began shooting. Newell shot up the meeting room, but his bullets never reached the supervisors.

During a scuffle to subdue him, he shouted: "You took my property, (expletive)!" according to witnesses.

Three bystanders were killed in the rampage, one who heroically pushed a woman away from Newell's path.

Newell's aunt, Monica Pilas, believes her nephew is insane.

"He was a hoarder when he was in middle school, at like 14," Pilas said. "He'd always bring stuff back home."

Reference: https://www.poconorecord.com/story/news/2014/07/09/rockne-newell-s-long-history/36351477007/