A Carbon County man admitted to a drug charge Thursday in the county court.

He was one of three defendants in drug-related cases to enter a guilty plea before President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II.

Jim Thorpe incident

Scott William Houser Jr.

, 33, of Jim Thorpe, pleaded to one count of possession of a controlled substance — heroin. In exchange for the pleas, other counts were dropped, including a charge of theft.

He was arrested for an incident on Aug. 7 when Jim Thorpe police were called to the 200 block of Broadway. The victim reported a welder he owned had been stolen and that he suspected his grandson, Houser.

Police located Houser and took him into custody. While processing him, police found two bundles of heroin in his right shoe, which led to the drug charge.

Houser has been an inmate in the county prison since his arrest, unable to post bail.

Houser told Nanovic, “I’d like to put this behind me. I just want to be a father to my kids.”

He said he was a heroin user at the time, adding, “Drugs turned me into an evil person.”

Nanovic placed him on probation for a year and ordered him to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendations for treatment, zero tolerance for drug and alcohol use and have no contact with the victim.

Other pleas

Arthur Charles Parisi

, 27, of Stroudsburg, pleaded to one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was arrested on April 7 by rangers at Beltzville State Park in Towamensing Township. He was found in the Wildcreek Trail lot in a vehicle asleep. The drug paraphernalia was found in the vehicle.

Nanovic placed him on probation for a year and ordered him to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and zero tolerance for drug and alcohol use.

Parisi is currently an inmate at the state correctional institution at Camp Hill, Dauphin County, serving a Monroe County sentence.

Zachariah C. Dotterer

, 24, of Lehighton, pleaded to one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was arrested on June 28 by Lehighton police in the area of the Exxon station along Route 443. He was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by police and found with the paraphernalia.

Nanovic placed him on probation for a year and ordered him to get a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Each defendant must also pay court costs of about $1,000 and a $50 per month supervision fee while on probation or parole.