A total of 19 defendants entered guilty pleas on Thursday in Carbon County court to driving under the influence charges.

The daylong court session was presided over by President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II.

Those pleading included:

Jon Anthony Casella,

29, of Lansford, was arrested on Dec. 1, 2019, by Lansford police along Bertsch Street. He refused a test. He also pleaded to persistent disorderly conduct with a charge of resisting arrest dropped in a plea deal with the district attorney’s office.

His plea was via video from the state correctional institution at Mahanoy, Schuylkill County, where he is serving a parole violation term.

On the DUI charge Nanovic sentenced him to serve 48 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $500 and one-year license suspension. On the conduct count he was placed on probation for six months, consecutive to the DUI. The DUI is concurrent with his state prison term he is serving.

Jason Kuchinos,

36, of Palmerton, was arrested on Aug. 25, 2019, along Hahns Dairy Road in Lower Towamensing Township, by state police at Lehighton. A test revealed a 0.22 BAC.

A first offense, he was placed on probation for six months and ordered to pay a fine of $300.

Jesse John Woodward,

39, of Jim Thorpe, was arrested on March 23, 2019, by state police at Fern Ridge along Route 940 in Penn Forest Township. A test revealed a 0.21 BAC.

A first offense, he was placed on probation for six months and ordered to pay a fine of $300.

Walter Eugene Spallone,

62, of Hazleton, was arrested on May 24, 2019, along Route 209 in Franklin Township, by state police at Lehighton. He refused a test.

Sentencing was deferred so he can obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Roger P. Ortiz,

48, of Walnutport, was arrested on Aug. 31, 2019, along Route 248 in Palmerton by state police at Lehighton. A test revealed a 0.13 BAC.

A first offense, he was placed on probation for six months and ordered to pay a fine of $300.

Justin J. Singleton,

30, of Drexel Hill, Delaware County, was arrested on Jan. 21 by state police at Pocono along the turnpike in Kidder Township. A test revealed a 0.23 BAC.

Sentencing was deferred so he can apply for placement in the restrictive probation program, house arrest.

Balan Costa,

42, of Hazleton, was arrested on Feb. 8, 2019, by Weatherly police along Plane Street. He was charged with DUI of a controlled substance.

Sentencing was deferred so he can obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Richard Roberts,

43, of Lehighton, was arrested on Aug. 29, 2017, by state police at Lehighton along Easy Alley in Lehighton. He was charged with DUI of a controlled substance.

He was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000 and a one-year license suspension.

He was given credit for six days already served and paroled.

Pablo Alberto Sosa,

29, of Berwick, Columbia County, was arrested on Sept. 4, 2016, along Bridge Street in Lehighton by state police at Lehighton. He refused a test.

Sentencing was deferred. He is currently serving a DUI sentence in Columbia County.

Ryan T. Hoffer,

22, of Northampton, was arrested on March 16, 2019, by Lehighton police along Route 443. A test revealed a 0.13 BAC.

A first offense, he was placed on probation for six months and ordered to pay a fine of $300.

Scott Andrew Allen,

51, of Ashfield, was arrested on Jan. 28, at the Mahoning Township police station where he went to complain about a parking ticket he received. He became unruly and had to be restrained by officers. A test revealed a 0.15 BAC. A charge of resisting arrest was dropped in a plea deal with the DA’s office.

A first offense, he was placed on probation for six months and ordered to pay a fine of $300.

Carly Lisbeth Sandler,

32, of Tamaqua, was arrested on Jan. 22 by Jim Thorpe police along West 13th Street in the area of the Friends of Animals shelter. She also pleaded to one count of recklessly endangering another person with a felony count of endangering the welfare of a child dropped in a plea deal with the DA’s office. Her young son was in the vehicle at the time of the stop.

Sentencing was deferred.

Stephen A. Griffith,

53, of Lehighton, was arrested on Sept. 20, 2019, by state police at Lehighton along Dairy Road in Lower Towamensing Township. He was charged with DUI of a controlled substance.

Sentencing was deferred. He is currently an inmate in the county prison on a parole violation.

Jeffrey Harris,

58, of Hazleton, was arrested on Oct. 20, 2019, along Lake Drive at Split Rock Lodge by Kidder Township police. A test revealed a 0.19 BAC.

He was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000 and one-year license suspension.

He will begin serving the jail term at 5 p.m. on Sept. 11.

Cory P. Techentin,

31, of Kunkletown, was arrested on Aug. 28, 2019, by Palmerton police along Third Street. A test revealed a 0.16 BAC.

Sentencing was deferred and Techentin requested a presentence investigation report be prepared by the adult probation office.

Nicholas Richard Benner,

31, of New Ringgold, was arrested on Jan. 30, 2018, by Lehighton police along Route 443. He was charged with DUI of a controlled substance. He also entered a plea to a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia for an incident on March 24, 2018, also along Route 443 and filed by Lehighton police following a traffic stop.

Sentencing was deferred so he can obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Sadu Dumbuya,

26, of Lansford, was arrested on Sept. 15, 2019, along Route 443 by Lehighton police. A test revealed a 0.11 BAC and also controlled substance.

He was sentenced to serve 48 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $500 and one-year license suspension.

He will begin the jail term at noon on Sept. 4.

Roberto Santiago Jr.,

53, of Lansford, was arrested on Jan. 15 by Mahoning Township police along Mahoning Drive. He refused a test.

Sentencing was deferred so he can obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Donna M. Kleyling,

36, of Danielsville, was arrested on Feb. 10 by state police at Lehighton along Little Gap Road in Lower Towamensing Township. She refused a test.

Sentencing was deferred so she can obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Drug charges

Lisa A. Neff,

56, of Lehighton, pleaded guilty to one count each of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia in exchange for the DA’s office dropping a DUI charge.

She was arrested on Sept. 17, 2017, along Iron Street by Lehighton police following a traffic stop. The DUI count was for a controlled substance.

She was placed on probation for a year on each count, running concurrently, and ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment and zero tolerance imposed on drug or alcohol use.

Each defendant sentenced must also pay court costs of about $1,000, a $50 per month supervision fee while on probation or parole and follow any recommendation of their drug and alcohol evaluation.