An Albrightsville man was denied house arrest and was sentenced to a county prison term on Monday in Carbon County court on a charge of fleeing or attempting to elude police.

He was one of three to be sentenced by Judge Steven R. Serfass.

Penn Forest incident

Jeffrey Charles Rogasch, 29, of Albrightsville, was sentenced to serve two to one day less 24 months in prison on the charge. He previously pleaded to the charge and a summary count of driving while under suspension.

He was arrested on July 20, 2020, by state police at Fern Ridge following a high-speed pursuit that began on Witman Lane in Penn Forest Township, which ended when he eventually stopped.

Defense attorney Thomas M. Joachim asked the court to impose a probationary sentence or permit his client to enter the house arrest program on the charges. He said Rogasch had an alcohol abuse problem but addressed it by entering an inpatient rehabilitation program for 28 days and also entered an outpatient program.

Serfass, however, denied the house arrest program, noting that while Rogasch was on bail in the pending case he was arrested on a possession of drug paraphernalia charge. He said considering the facts and type of charge house arrest treatment, “is not appropriate in this type of case.”

In addition to the prison term, Serfass ordered Rogasch to supply a DNA sample and render 100 hours of community service. On the suspension charge he was fined $200 and costs.

He was given credit for 29 days - 28 in the rehab program and one day in jail. He will begin serving the remaining 31 days on Jan. 3, 2022, at 7 p.m. and serve it on consecutive two-day periods.

Other cases

Jeffrey Espinal, 25, of Lehighton, was sentenced placed in the Restrictive Conditions of Probation program (house arrest) on a driving under the influence charge, which he previously pleaded.

He was arrested on Sept. 3, 2018, by Palmerton police.

A request by defense attorney Joshua E. Karoly to have his client serve the entire sentence on house arrest with no jail term, was denied by Serfass.

Serfass placed Espinal in the program for 60 months with the first 30 days served in the county prison. Upon his release he will be on electronic monitoring for 60 days. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $1,500, license suspended for 18 months, supply a DNA sample and render 100 hours of community service.

He will begin serving the prison term at 9 a.m. on Jan. 8, 2022, and serve it on consecutive two-day periods.

Espinal was originally placed in the Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition probation program on the charge but was revoked for violating conditions.

Jason Michael Boyle, 27, of Palmerton, was sentenced to serve 90 days to 60 months in prison on a DUI count.

He was arrested on Sept. 5, 2020, by state police at Lehighton along Route 209 in Franklin Township, for DUI of a controlled substance. A charge of possession of a controlled substance was dropped in a plea deal with the district attorney’s office.

Boyle’s request for placement in the house arrest program was rejected by the court.

Serfass also ordered Boyle to pay a fine of $1,500, license suspended for 18 months, render 100 hours of community service, supply a DNA sample and zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use.

On a charge of driving under suspension - DUI related, he was sentenced to serve 45 to 90 days in jail and pay a fine of $1,000. The jail term is concurrent with the DUI charge.

He will begin serving the prison term at 7 p.m. on Jan. 7 and serve it on consecutive two-day periods.

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