A Carbon County man entered a guilty plea in the county court on Thursday to a drug count and was immediately sentenced to a prison term.

He was one of three defendants in pending criminal cases to appear before President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II.

Summit Hill incident

Javier Ceron Guzman, 49, of Summit Hill, pleaded to one count of possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine. In exchange for the plea, the district attorney’s office agreed to drop a felony count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and other drug counts.

Guzman was arrested on June 23, 2020, following a traffic stop by Summit Hill police along Route 902. Police received information for agents of the state Attorney General’s office that Guzman had been in Pottsville to purchase methamphetamine and was returning to Carbon County to sell the drugs.

At the stop, police found Guzman in possession of $1,712 in U.S. currency. A search warrant was secured for Guzman’s car, and 14.6 grams of meth were found in it.

Defense attorney Matthew J. Mottola, of the public defender’s office, said since his arrest, Guzman has addressed a drug addiction problem while in the county prison, where he has been held since his arrest on the charges and a parole violation. He said his client has availed himself of all drug-related services offered at the prison.

Nanovic sentenced him to serve two to 12 months in the county prison with credit for 118 days already served and paroled him. He was also ordered to continue his present counseling sessions.

Guzman’s plea was done via video conference from the county prison.

Other cases

Anthony J. Riggio, 37, of Lehighton, pleaded to one count of criminal trespass, as a felony 3. In exchange for the plea felony counts of burglary, theft and receiving stolen property were dropped by the DA’s office.

Riggio was arrested on Dec. 22, 2019, when Nesquehoning police were dispatched to a Rock Street address. The victim reported her daughter saw two men on her property near a shed. The daughter confronted the men who left but took a 2018 Honda trail bike with them. Riggio was one of the two men involved.

Riggio is currently an inmate in the Lehigh County prison on a parole violation. His plea was entered via video conference from that prison.

Nanovic sentenced him to serve six to one day less 24 months in prison with credit for 80 days already served. He was also ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment.

Richard J. Coombs, 57, of Lansford, was placed on probation for two years on a charge of obstructing the administration of law or other government functions. He previously entered a guilty plea to the charge.

He was arrested on Aug. 24, 2020, when Lansford police responded to an East Abbott Street residence for a report of a disturbance. As police were attempting to take Coombs’ wife into custody, he interfered with the officers by grabbing their arms and wrist, police said.

Before imposing the sentence, Nanovic told Coombs, “This is not an isolated incident. Police have been called to your residence because of you and your daughter.” Nanovic said a presentence investigation report prepared by the adult probation office quotes a Lansford police officer saying officers have responded to the Coombs’ residence “numerous times” due to disturbances caused by Coombs and his daughter.

Nanovic told Coombs with the sentence imposed, if police are called to the defendants’ home again for a disturbance, that could result in a violation of his probation and a possible jail term.

Nanovic also ordered Coombs to get both a drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations.

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