A Carbon County man was sentenced to a state prison term recently in the county court to a state prison term on drug charges.

Brandon Mendez, 25, of Jim Thorpe, who previously pleaded guilty in four pending cases to three counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, was sentenced to serve a total of 12 to 36 months in a state correctional institution by Judge Steven R. Serfass.

Three of the charges are for an incident on July 17, 2019, filed by Jim Thorpe police. He was arrested along South Street after police responded to a report of a protection from abuse violation. Crystal methamphetamine and paraphernalia were found.

When he was taken to the county prison on the charges, he was found with drugs on him. Nesquehoning police filed those charges.

The fourth case occurred on Aug. 29, 2018, filed by Mahoning Township police when officers responded to a domestic incident.

At his guilty plea, Mendez indicated he would apply for the state’s Intermediate Punishment Program. He was then transferred to a state prison to be evaluated for the program. However, after his pleas, the state abolished the IPP. The state prison system then established the state drug treatment program, which is similar to the IPP, but a person can only apply for it after they are sentenced to a state prison.

Mendez is currently an inmate in SCI-Camp Hill, Cumberland County.

He was given credit for 283 days already served and ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation, render a total of 150 hours of community service when paroled and pay court costs of about $1,000.