A Lehigh County man admitted on Monday to harassing his wife and damaging property at her then residence.

He was one of three defendants in pending criminal cases to enter a guilty plea before Judge Steven R. Serfass.

Franklin incident

Mark Andrew Azar

, 34, of Allentown, pleaded guilty to one count each of harassment (a summary offense) and criminal mischief, a misdemeanor.

He was arrested on Sept. 6 when Franklin Township police responded to a residence along Long Run Road for a domestic dispute. On scene the officers were told by Azar’s estranged wife that he had come to the home and caused damages and made threats to kill her. Damages included furniture in the home.

Azar told Serfass, “I apologize for what I did.”

His wife was in the courtroom and told Serfass that Azar continues to harass her every time he comes to see the two children they had together. She said there is no formal custody agreement but she plans on filing papers to establish custody. She no longer lives at the Franklin Township location.

On the mischief count, Serfass placed him on probation for a year and ordered he get both drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations and follow any recommendation for treatment, zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use, attend and successfully complete an anger-management counseling course, pay restitution of $100 to the victim, render 50 hours of community service and have no contact with the victim except for custody matters.

On the harassment count he was fined $300.

Other pleas

Michael John Hickey Jr.

, 25, of Bridgeport, Montgomery County, pleaded to one count of defiant trespass with a charge of criminal trespass, a felony, dropped in a plea agreement with the district attorney’s office.

Hickey was arrested on Sept. 15, 2016, by Jim Thorpe police for entering a residence along Lehigh Street without permission.

Serfass placed him on probation for a year and ordered he get a drug and alcohol evaluation, zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use and render 100 hours of community service.

Johnathon Andrew Rutman

, 35, of Weissport, pleaded to one count of harassment, as a misdemeanor. He was charged by Lehighton police on Sept. 23 for making unwanted multiple phone calls and text messages to a female. At the time the female had a protection from abuse order against him, which has since been withdrawn by the victim.

Serfass sentenced him to time-served (39 days) to one year in jail and ordered he get both drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations and render 50 hours of community service.

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