A Carbon County man was sentenced to a year in jail on driving under the influence and other charges on Tuesday afternoon, but will spend the time in the county prison. A Kunkletown man was given a state prison term after previously pleading to two counts of DUI.

Four cases

Stephen John Susel,

52, of Palmerton, was sentenced in four pending cases that he previously pleaded guilty to by President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II.

In addition to the jail time, Susel must pay fines totaling $6,200 and license suspensions totaling 36 months. He was also ordered to get a mental health evaluation, follow any recommendation of his drug and alcohol evaluation, pay court costs of about $1,000 and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole.

He pleaded to two counts of DUI and driving under suspension and one count each of possession of a controlled substance and disorderly conduct.

Defense attorney Stephen P. Vlossak Sr. told the court that Susel has addressed his drug and alcohol abuse problems. He spent 196 days in a Salvation Army rehab program plus time in several halfway houses. He continues to attend Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotic Anonymous meetings. Vlossak said Susel left the area to get away from influences in his life and spent time at a facility in Lebanon.

He is currently an inmate in the county prison. He was arrested for the DUI counts on Nov. 23, 2017, and Oct. 8, 2018, by state police at Lehighton for DUI of alcohol. The drug arrest occurred on March 18, 2018, filed by Palmerton police. The conduct charge stems from an incident on Aug. 24, 2018, in Palmerton.

Susel told the court, “I’m sorry for everything I’ve done. I hope to make better decisions in my life.”

Nanovic gave him credit for the Salvation Army time and jail time, which totals 253 days.

State term

Timothy Green,

52, of Kunkletown, was sentenced to serve 12 to 48 months in a state correctional institution on two DUI counts. He was arrested on DUI charges on Feb. 13, 2016, by state police at Lehighton, and on April 18, 2018, by Palmerton police. Alcohol was involved in both arrests.

In the April arrest he was also charged with driving under suspension and resisting arrest. The resisting charge was dropped in a plea deal with the district attorney’s office.

Nanovic rejected a request to impose the mandatory minimum on the DUI counts, citing Green’s extensive prior criminal record. Green has another pending DUI in Monroe County, where he is currently housed.

Green must also pay fines totaling $1,700 and license suspensions totaling 36 months, court costs of about $1,000 and supply a DNA sample.

The two sentencing proceedings were done via video conference from the Carbon County prison (Susel) and Monroe County (Green) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the courtroom with Nanovic were court personnel including a stenographer, clerk of courts office representative, tipstaff, sheriff deputy, a probation officer, an assistant district attorney, and the attorney for the defendant.