Two Carbon County residents were sentenced on Tuesday morning to state prison terms after previously pleading guilty to criminal charges involving illegal substances.

Judge Steven R. Serfass imposed the sentences.

Lehighton incident

Zachary William Hoffman,

31, of Lehighton, was sentenced to serve 21 to 60 months in a state correctional institution on a charge of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, methamphetamine, and 16 to 42 months on a charge of criminal use of a communication facility. The terms run concurrently.

He was arrested on Sept. 27, 2018, by Lehighton police following a traffic stop. Hoffman was originally charged with 11 criminal counts, including three more counts of PWID, criminal conspiracy-PWID, possession of a controlled substance, tampering with evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia. All those charges were dropped in a plea deal with the district attorney’s office.

Police received information that Hoffman, and others, were in the Hazleton area to purchase drugs and return to Carbon County to sell them. When they returned, a vehicle stop was made and various illegal substances were found in the vehicle.

Hoffman asked that he be sentenced to a county prison term because he has already served 18 months in prison on the charges. Serfass said the sentencing guidelines call for a minimum prison term, in the standard range, of between 15 and 21 months, which is a state sentence. He is currently free on bail.

Serfass also rejected a request to delay the start of the sentence to a later date, saying the defendant has shown no remorse for his actions and that the term would begin immediately.

Hoffman was also ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment and supply a DNA sample.

He was given credit for 548 days spent in prison on the charges.

Violations

Amy Sue Frohnheiser,

43, of Palmerton, appeared to be sentenced on a charge of possession of a controlled substance and also to be resentenced in three other cases for violating parole/probation conditions.

Serfass sentenced her to serve 12 to 36 months in a state correctional institution on the drug count. On the three counts pertaining to the violations, she was sentenced to serve 12 to 36 months on each count, with the terms running concurrent to each other and concurrent to the drug charge.

She was arrested on the drug charge on July 12, 2019, by Palmerton police. The charges in the three violation cases were unsworn falsification to authorities, identity theft and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

In March she was dismissed from the county’s drug treatment court for violating conditions.

Serfass noted Frohnheiser has a long criminal record that includes time spent in local prisons as well as state facilities. He said all are tied to a drug addiction problem.

Frohnheiser asked the court to sentence her to a county prison term, where she is presently being held. But the adult probation office recommended that she be sent to a state prison because she is not amenable to county supervision.

Serfass also ordered her to get a drug and alcohol evaluation.

She was given credit for 99 days already served on the sentence.

Both defendants must also pay court costs of about $1,000 and a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole.