A Summit Hill woman admitted to assaulting her daughter and her involvement in a drug transaction in Carbon County court on Monday.

She was one of six defendants to enter a guilty plea before Judge Steven R. Serfass.

Summit Hill incident

Nina Renee Hofstetter, 39, pleaded to one count of simple assault for an incident on Oct. 27, 2019, at her home in Summit Hill where she was accused of assaulting her then 17-year-old daughter. In exchange for the plea a felony 2 count of strangulation was dropped in a plea deal with the district attorney’s office.

She also pleaded to one count of possession of a controlled substance. She was charged by agents of the state attorney general’s office and county drug task force members for her part in an ongoing investigation of the sale of oxycodone at various locations in the county. In another plea deal the DA dropped a felony count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

Sentencing was deferred.

Two cases

Daniel J. Thorpe, 35, of Nesquehoning, entered guilty pleas in two pending cases to two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arrested on March 7 by Summit Hill police when he was observed riding a bicycle erratically along White Bear Drive. The second arrest occurred on July 10 along Route 54 by Nesquehoning police who responded to a report of a man lying along the road.

Thorpe entered his plea via video conference from the county jail where he is being held on a parole violation.

On both charges Serfass sentenced Thorpe to serve three to 12 months in prison, with the terms running concurrently, and ordered he get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment and render a total of 100 hours of community service when paroled.

Other cases

Isaiah Luis Cruz-Ortiz, 22, of Coaldale, pleaded to one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arrested on May 26, 2018, by state police at Fern Ridge along Route 903 at the turnpike entrance in Penn Forest Township. He was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by troopers.

He was fined $250 and costs.

Carter Kurak Wolfe, 19, of Jim Thorpe, pleaded to one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arrested on Sept. 19 by Jim Thorpe police along North Street. Police responded to a disturbance report and found Wolfe. The police report indicated methamphetamine found.

Serfass sentenced him to time-served (12 days) to 12 months in prison and ordered he get a drug and alcohol evaluation and render 50 hours of community service.

Amy Lynn Ziegenfuss, 43, of Northampton, pleaded to one count of possession of a controlled substance and a count of receiving stolen property. She was arrested on Oct. 16, 2019, by Lehighton police at the Dollar General Store along North First Street. Police responded to a retail theft report. Ziegenfuss was in a vehicle outside the store when police approached it, she then ran but was later located.

Sentencing was deferred so she can apply for placement in the house arrest program.

Travis L. Reed, 35, of Lehighton, pleaded to one count of possession of drug paraphernalia with a count of possession of a controlled substance dropped in a plea deal with the DA’s office. He was arrested on Aug. 29 by Lehighton police along Bridge Street. Methamphetamine was found, police said.

He was placed on probation for a year and ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and render 50 hours of community service.

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