A Carbon County man pleaded guilty in the county court on Friday to an assault count and also driving under the influence.

He was one of 14 defendants in pending DUI-related cases to enter a guilt plea before Judge Joseph J. Matika.

Franklin incident

Thomas Paul Rehl Jr., 54, of Lehighton, was arrested on Sept. 22, by Franklin Township police for simple assault and DUI. He was also charged with a felony 1 count of burglary and a total of eight charges. All but the two he pleaded to were dropped in a plea deal with the district attorney’s office.

Police charged he entered a home along Main Road. He fled the scene but was later stopped by police, which led to the DUI count. Rehl entered his plea via video from the county prison where he was being held on the charges.

On the assault count, Matika sentenced him to time-served (72 days) to 18 months in prison and ordered he render 50 hours of community service, get a drug and alcohol evaluation, attend and successfully complete an anger management course and supply a DNA sample.

On the DUI count he was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000 and license suspended for one year. The jail terms run concurrently.

On a charge of possession of a small amount of marijuana he was sentenced to serve 15 to 30 days in jail, concurrent with the other counts.

Flees police

Sean Michael Dohn, 30, of Kunkletown, pleaded to one count of fleeing or attempting to elude police and DUI.

He was arrested on July 8 by state police at Lehighton along Interchange Road in Franklin Township. Police attempted to stop him and he fled, leading them on a short chase. Troopers found heroin in his vehicle.

He was originally charged with 11 counts including possession of a controlled substance. All were dropped except the fleeing and DUI charges in a plea deal. The deal also included regrading the fleeing charge from a felony 3 to a misdemeanor 2.

On the DUI charge he was sentenced to serve 90 days to 60 months in prison, pay a fine of $1,500, license suspended for 18 months, supply a DNA sample and render 100 hours of community service. He was given credit for 97 days already served and paroled.

On the fleeing count he was sentenced to time-served (97 days) to 18 months concurrent with the DUI charge.

Other pleas

Jeremy Scott Rawlins, 34, of Lansford, entered pleas in two pending cases with a third case dropped in a plea deal with the district attorney’s office.

He pleaded to one count each of possession of a controlled substance, heroin, for an incident on Jan. 25 filed by Lansford police; and possession of drug paraphernalia for an incident on Dec. 31, 2020, also filed by Lansford police. The charges dropped in the third case included DUI of a controlled substance and endangering the welfare of a child. During a stop Lansford police found young children in the back seat of the vehicle.

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

Megan M. Focht, 33, of Jeanesville, Luzerne County, and currently an inmate in the Northampton County prison, was arrested o March 19 for DUI of a controlled substance along Mahoning Drive in Mahoning Township by state police at Lehighton. She is in the prison on a parole violation. Her plea was done via video from the prison.

She was sentenced to serve one to seven years in prison with credit for 73 days already served, and ordered to pay a fine of $2,500, license suspended for 18 months, supply a DNA sample and when paroled render 100 hours of community service.

Jessica Schmidt, 40, of Albrightsville, and currently an inmate at the state correctional institution at Muncy, Lycoming County, was arrested on July 9, 2020, by state police at Lehighton for DUI of a controlled substance. She also pleaded to possession of drug paraphernalia. She was originally charged with 13 counts. Among the charges dropped in a plea deal were endangering the welfare of a child and possession of a controlled substance.

She was sentenced to serve one to seven years in a state prison and ordered to pay a fine of $2,500, license suspended for 18 months, supply a DNA sample and render 100 hours of community service when paroled. On the drug count she was sentenced to serve three to six months in a state prison, concurrent with the DUI charge.

The terms run concurrent to each other and concurrent with the sentence she is now serving.

Michael William Belcher, 41, of Walnutport, was arrested on June 19 by state police at Lehighton along Route 443 in Lehighton. He was charged with DUI of a controlled substance and seven other counts including possession of a controlled substance as police indicated methamphetamine was found. All the charges were dropped in a plea deal except the DUI count.

He was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000, license suspended for a year and render 25 hours of community service.

He will begin serving the jail term at 9 a.m. on Jan. 7, 2022.

Stephen Christopher Witt, 47, of Lehighton, was arrested on June 11 along Bridge Street by Lehighton police. A test revealed a 0.20 BAC.

He was sentenced to serve 48 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $500, license suspended for a year and render 25 hours of community service.

He will begin the jail term at 6 p.m. on Dec. 10.

David Lee Mast, 44, of Northampton, was arrested on Jan. 19 by state police at Lehighton along Lehigh Drive in Palmerton. Methamphetamine was found in the vehicle. A charge of possession of a controlled substance was dropped in a plea deal. He also pleaded to six motor vehicle code summary offenses.

He was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000, license suspended for a year and render 25 hours of community service.

On the summary offenses he was ordered to pay fines totaling $185 and costs.

He will begin the jail term at 8 a.m. on Dec. 17.

Gervans Moise,Rebecca L. Calmona, 41, of Lehighton, was arrested on March 5 for DUI of a controlled substance by state police at Lehighton along Firehouse Road in Towamensing Township.

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

Jennifer Dooley, 46, of Palmerton, was arrested on Oct. 7, 2019, along Fireline Road in Palmerton, for DUI of a controlled substance.

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

Evan Charles Shoemaker, 26, of Slatington, was arrested for DUI of a controlled substance by state police at Lehighton along Route 248 at Bowmanstown. He was stopped for speeding, 100 mph in a 55 zone, police said.

He was placed in the Restrictive Conditions of Probation DUI program (house arrest) for five years with the first five months on electronic monitoring and ordered to pay a fine of $1,500, license suspended for 18 months, render 100 hours of community service and supply a DNA sample.

Michael Atkinson, 31, of Coaldale, was arrested on March 24 by Lansford police along Bertsch Street. Methamphetamine was found, police said. A felony charge of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance was dropped in a plea deal.

He was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000, license suspended for a year and render 25 hours of community service. The term runs concurrent with a sentence he is serving in Schuylkill County, where he is an inmate. His plea was entered via video from the prison.

Randall Scott Snyder, 62, of Weissport, was arrested on April 5, 2020, by Franklin Township police along Harrity Road. A test revealed a 0.23 BAC.

Sentencing was deferred so he could apply for placement in the house arrest program.