A Carbon County man who admitted stabbed his pregnant wife, claiming the child was the “Antichrist,” was sentenced to a state prison term on Tuesday.

Dana Seidler, 35, of Nesquehoning, was sentenced by Carbon County Judge Joseph J. Matika to serve 36 to 72 months in a state correctional institution on a charge of aggravated assault on an unborn child, a felony 1, and 270 days to 540 days on a charge of possession of a prohibitive offensive weapon, a misdemeanor 1. The terms run concurrently.

Seidler previously pleaded guilty to the charges.

Seidler was arrested on Oct. 21, 2019, by Nesquehoning police at his residence along West Railroad Street.

According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Nesquehoning police, officers were dispatched to the area of Mermon Avenue and West Railroad Street for a domestic incident.

Officers found a pregnant woman sitting on the porch of a home on West Railroad with a stab wound to the stomach and visible defensive wounds. She told police her husband, Seidler, went back to their home after the incident.

Police went to the couple’s home and heard people talking inside. Officers were then able to identify Seidler, who was making his son read a piece of paper over and over again. Police ordered Seidler to come out, which he eventually did.

He was taken into custody by Nesquehoning police while officers from Jim Thorpe recovered the knife that was used in the incident. The boy in the home pointed out that it was an approximately 14-inch blade sword and showed police where it was located. The boy told police Seidler had been acting weird all day and had been reading the Bible for hours and he heard his mother yelling for help.

The boy was able to get his father to hand over the knife to him and tried to help his mother flee, but Seidler again chased her out of the home.

Lehighton ambulance was dispatched and treated the victim before transporting her to Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest for her wounds. Police said that at the time of the incident, Seidler was high on drugs. He apparently told investigators he thought the child his wife of carrying was the “Antichrist.”

The unborn child was not injured.

Homicide charges dropped

At the time of the guilty plea District Attorney Michael S. Greek said he agreed to drop the attempted homicide charges due to a problem with the testimony of Seidler’s wife. He said she was the only one who heard Seidler threaten to kill her, which is the basis for the homicide charges. However, Greek said, the wife is now refusing to testify against Seidler.

Greek said, “I can’t compel her to testify against her husband.”

He said without her testifying to the threat, he could not prove the homicide charges.

Seidler was evaluated by a psychiatrist who determined that at the time of the incident, Seidler had a psychotic episode induced by drug use. A presentence investigation report prepared by the adult probation office indicated that Seidler has been using multiple illegal substances for a long time including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Matika said the report of the probation office indicated that when not on drugs Seidler was not a bad person. Matika told Seidler, “The demon known as drugs took over your life.” He added, “Somehow you are still alive.”

Seidler has been in the county prison since the day of the incident.

Defense attorney Eric Wiltrout, of the public defender’s office, said, “The facts of the case are grim but fortunately no one was seriously injured.”

Seidler’s wife, son and parents were present in the courtroom. His father said he never knew his son to be violent.

Seidler told the court, “I apologize for my behavior and what I did to my family and kid.”

In addition to the prison term, Matika ordered Seidler to get both mental health and drug and alcohol evaluations, supply a DNA sample, render 100 hours of community service when paroled and pay court costs of $1,000.

He was given credit for 540 days already served.