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SH man sentenced to prison for DUI

A Carbon County man was given a minimum of a year in state prison for drunken driving while another county resident got jail time for defiant trespass.

The two were among seven defendants to enter guilty pleas on Tuesday before Carbon Judge Steven R. Serfass.Jim Thorpe incidentPaul Zuzo, 44, of Summit Hill, pleaded to one count each of driving under the influence and driving under suspension-DUI related.He was arrested on July 28, 2013, by Jim Thorpe police after crashing his motorcycle along Lentz Trail near the entrance to Mauch Chunk Lake park. After crashing, he ran into nearby woods but was later apprehended. He refused to submit to a blood test.Zuzo has prior DUI convictions. In fact, he was on parole from a DUI sentence in Schuylkill County when arrested in Carbon. His parole was revoked by Schuylkill, and he was resentenced to a state prison term. His original Schuylkill sentence was four and a half months to five years in the county prison.Serfass sentenced Zuzo on the DUI charge to serve 12 to 60 months in a state prison, pay a fine of $2,500, have his license suspended for 18 months, get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, and when released on parole render 100 hours of community service.On the suspension count he was sentenced to serve 90 days in a state prison and pay a fine of $1,000. The jail terms run concurrent to each other and concurrent with his Schuylkill sentence, which runs to July.Trespass incidentRichard Hartranft, 48, of Lehighton, pleaded to one count of defiant trespass.Hartranft was arrested for an incident on Jan. 6 at 223 N. First St. in Lehighton. Police responded to the residence to a report of an unwanted person. On scene officers were told by the victim, Linda Hibbler, that Hartranft had entered her apartment, caused problems and then refused to leave. Police had to physically remove Hartranft from the apartment.Serfass sentenced him to time served (100 days) to one year in jail and ordered he get a D&A evaluation, render 50 hours of community service and have no contact with Hibbler.Other pleasOther defendants who entered pleas included:Arthur Scott Hanman, 45, of Jim Thorpe, pleaded to one count of DUI.He was arrested on June 11, 2013, by Jim Thorpe police following an accident.Hanman was riding a bicycle across the Route 903 bridge when he ran into a pickup. After the accident, Hanman fled the scene on foot and was later found lying in a yard at a nearby residence. He was taken to the Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township, for treatment of serious injuries. Police obtained a blood test, and the result showed Hanman had a 0.10 BAC.Hanman told Serfass he spent 21 days in an inpatient rehabilitation program for a serious alcohol abuse problem.Serfass sentenced him to serve 30 days to six months in jail, a fine of $750, one-year license suspension, make restitution for damages of $228, get a D&A evaluation, and render 25 hours of community service.Serfass gave him credit for the 21 days in rehab. He will begin serving the remaining nine days of the jail term at 9 a.m. on April 21.Gregory Andrew Macalush, 22, of Lansford, pleaded to one count of DUI.Macalush was arrested on July 3, 2013, along Route 248 in Franklin Township by state police following a traffic stop for an expired inspection sticker. A test showed the presence of a controlled substance, marijuana, in his system.Serfass sentenced him to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, a fine of $1,000, one-year license suspension, get a D&A evaluation and render 25 hours of community service.He will begin the jail term at 9 a.m. on May 1. It was noted Macalush is currently serving a sentence in Schuylkill County in another criminal matter.Corey J. Bossert, 22, of Lehighton, pleaded to one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor.He was arrested on Sept. 14, 2013, along Main Lane when Lehighton police responded to a report of a beer party in a nearby wooded area.Police found Bossert and three other individuals consuming alcohol. One of the others was under 21.Serfass placed Bossert on probation for a yearand ordered he render50 hours of community service.Robert Arthur Mefford, 22, of Albrightsville, pleaded to one count of receiving stolen property.He was arrested by state police at Fern Ridge after they received a report from Ide L. Mefford, the defendant's mother, that he took her credit card and used it to withdrawal $80 from a bank without her permission.Serfass placed him on probation for 18 months and ordered he render 75 hours of community service.Judith Ann Houtz, 66, of Palmerton, pleaded to one count of DUI.She was arrested on Nov. 19, 2013, by state police at Lehighton along Maple Road in Towamensing Township. Given a test, the result was 0.20 BAC.A first offense, Serfass placed her on probation for six months and ordered her to pay a fine of $300, get a D&A evaluation and render 25 hours of community service.Each defendant must also pay court costs, which average about $1,000, and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on probation or parole.