A Carbon County man entered guilty pleas in two pending cases on Thursday in Carbon County court and was sentenced to a county prison term.

He was one of 11 defendants in pending criminal cases to enter a guilty plea before Judge Joseph J. Matika.

Franklin incidents

Zachary David Hoffman, 31, of Saylorsburg, and formerly of Nesquehoning, pleaded to one count each of simple assault and driving under the influence. Hoffman is currently an inmate in the county prison on the charges.

The assault occurred on March 20 at residence along Long Run Road in Franklin Township. State police at Lehighton responded to a domestic incident in which there were multiple people involved. The police report indicates that Hoffman was one of the participants and had punched others in the face. A terroristic threats charge was dropped in a plea deal with the district attorney’s office.

The DUI occurred on Jan. 24, 2021, along Long Run Road in Franklin Township. State police at Lehighton charged him with DUI of a controlled substance. The police report indicates methamphetamine was found in the vehicle.

On the assault charge Matika sentenced him to serve six to 23 months in prison and on the DUI count 90 days to 60 months in prison, with the terms running concurrently.

On the DUI count he was ordered to pay a fine of $1,500 and his license was suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to render a total of 100 hours of community service when paroled, get a mental health evaluation, attend and complete a anger management course, supply a DNA sample and have no contact with any of the victims in the assault case.

He was given credit for a total of 81 days already served.

Other pleas

Gregory Allen Sperlbaum, 54, of Coaldale, pleaded in three pending cases to two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and one count of driving under suspension - DUI related.

He was arrested on the first drug count on Aug. 5, 2017, at Bertsch and Cortright streets by Lansford police. The second drug arrest occurred on June 28, 2017, along West Patterson Street, also by Lansford police. In both cases a charge of possession of a controlled substance was dropped in a plea deal.

The suspension count occurred on Nov. 17, 2016, filed by Lansford police following a traffic stop along Kline Avenue. In that case two drug counts - possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, were dropped in a plea deal.

On the suspension charge he was sentenced to serve 30 to 60 days in jail without parole, meaning he must serve the full 60 days, pay a fine of $500 and render 50 hours of community service. On the two drug counts he was placed on probation for a year on each count with all the sentences running concurrently.

He was given credit for 31 days already served on the DUI charge and will begin serving the remaining 29 days on June 10 at 7 p.m. and serve it on consecutive two-day weekends.

Frederick Joseph Vanwinkle, 54, of Weatherly, pleaded to one count of theft, a misdemeanor 1. In exchange for the plea felony 1 burglary and a felony 3 criminal trespass charges were dropped.

He was arrested for his part in an entry of a residence along Buck Mountain Road in Banks Township. State police at Hazleton filed the charges.

A co-defendant in the case, Kenneth J. Kitts, 34, of Weatherly, was scheduled to enter a guilty plea in the case but failed to show Thursday and had a bench warrant issued for his arrest.

Authorities indicated Kitts was the person behind the break-in.

Matika placed Vanwinkle on probation for a year and ordered he get a drug and alcohol evaluation, supply a DNA sample and render 50 hours of community service.

Sean Propson, 23, of Lansford, pleaded to one count of trespass by motor vehicle, a summary offense, with a misdemeanor 2 charge of defiant trespass dropped in a plea deal.

He was arrested by Lansford police on April 13, 2018, operating a vehicle on Lehigh Anthracite Energy property.

Matika imposed a fine of $25 and costs.

Ryan M. Wickkiser, 34, of Summit Hill, pleaded to a summary offense of disorderly conduct with a misdemeanor 1 charge of person not to possess/use a firearm dropped in a plea deal.

He was arrested on Dec. 9, 2020, by Weatherly police along Plane Street.

Matika imposed a fine of $150 and costs.

Tanner Brian Titus, 26, of Weatherly, pleaded to one count of possession of a controlled substance - heroin.

He was arrested on Dec. 16, 2021, by Weatherly police along West Main Street following a vehicle stop.

Matika placed him on probation for a year and ordered he get a drug and alcohol evaluation and render 50 hours of community service.

Titus is currently an inmate in the county prison serving a parole violation sentence. It runs to August. Matika ruled his sentence run concurrent with the parole term.

Anthony Schietzo, 28, of Garfield, New Jersey, pleaded on one count of harassment, as a summary offense, with a misdemeanor 2 count of simple assault dropped in a plea deal.

He was arrested on Aug. 24, 2021, by Kidder Township police for an incident at the Hickory Run Motel in Albrightsville. He got involved in an altercation with another person at the motel.

Matika imposed a fine of $150 and costs.

Alejandro Manuel Roman,Joseph Henry Kalbarczyk, 24, of Pottsville, pleaded to one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was arrested on March 8, 2021, by Lansford police along Patterson Street.

Kalbarczyk is currently an inmate in the Schuylkill County prison serving a probation violation term and has a detainer on him filed by Luzerne County authorities.

Matika placed him on probation for six months, current with Schuylkill County, and ordered he render 25 hours of community service when released.

Christopher Mich Frantz, 34, of Lehighton, pleaded to one count each of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. A charge of flight to avoid apprehension was dropped in a plea deal.

He was arrested on Oct. 17, 2021, by state police at Lehighton following a vehicle stop. He initially refused to stop and a chase ensued before he was apprehended.

On June 8, Frantz entered a guilty plea to a DUI count in the county court. Sentencing was deferred in that case so he could obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Frantz also told the court he has other pending cases which he said he hopes to clear up in the future.

Matika placed him on probation for a year and ordered he get a drug and alcohol evaluation and render 50 hours of community service.

Bryan Wilcox, 36, of Effort, pleaded to a summary offense of careless driving with a misdemeanor count of DUI dropped in a plea deal.

He was arrested on Sept. 10, 2020, along Route 903 by Kidder Township police.

Matika imposed a fine of $25 and costs.

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

ARD

James W. Young, 52, of Palmerton, was placed in the county’s Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition probation program for a year on a simple assault charge. He was arrested on Feb. 5 by Palmerton police following a domestic incident involving his wife.

He was assessed $450 for the costs of the program and ordered to get both mental health and drug and alcohol evaluations, attend and complete an anger management course, no verbal contact with his wife, pay court costs of over $1,000 and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while in the program.