A Tamaqua man was sentenced to a state prison term on Monday in Carbon County court on a theft charge.

President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II sentenced Robert J. Macharsky Jr., 42, to serve one to two years in a state correctional institution, rejecting a plea from the defendant to keep him in the county prison.Macharsky was arrested by Lehighton police for an incident at the Lehighton hospital. Macharsky was brought to the hospital by ambulance and received medical services. He gave a false name at the hospital for billing purposes.Nanovic rejected the plea for a county sentence noting the long and extensive prior criminal record of the defendant. After he heard the sentence, Macharsky said he wanted to withdraw his plea, which Nanovic said could not be done at the current proceeding. Nanovic added, "You were given many opportunities in this case to decide what to do. You decided to plead in the case." Nanovic then told Macharsky to confer with his legal counsel, attorney Gregory Lee Mousseau of the public defender's office, concerning his appeal rights.Macharsky has been charged with violating his parole in Lehigh County, and Schuylkill County has a detainer on him for a pending charge.Mousseau asked the court to sentence Macharsky to six to 23 months and keep him in the county.Nanovic rejected that and said to Macharsky, "There is nothing in this record to indicate that you have learned your lesson."Nanovic also noted the many rehabilitation programs the defendant has gone through without success.In addition to the jail term, Macharsky was ordered to make total restitution of $5,738.74, get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendations for treatment, zero tolerance imposed on drug and alcohol use, and pay court costs of about $1,000.He was given credit for 41 days spent in jail on the charge.