A Blair County man was given a time-served sentence on Tuesday morning in Carbon County court on a drug charge.

He was one of four defendants in pending criminal cases who previously pleaded guilty to charges and were sentenced by Judge Steven R. Serfass.

Traffic stop

Zachary D. Hoffman,

28, of Altoona, was sentenced to time-served, 55 days, to one year on a charge of possession of a controlled substance, heroin.

He was arrested on Oct. 18, 2018, by Lehighton police following a traffic stop.

Hoffman entered a drug inpatient rehabilitation program after his arrest. At the time of his plea hearing he was living in a halfway house in York, after successfully completing the inpatient program.

He was also ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and render 50 hours of community service.

Other cases

Russell B. Woodward Jr.,

48, of Lansford, was sentenced on two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. The first drug case occurred on Feb. 2, 2014, and the second on June 28, 2017, both filed by Lansford police.

He was placed on probation for six months on each count with the terms running consecutively. He was previously placed in the county’s Veterans Court but was terminated from it for violating conditions.

Serfass ordered him to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and imposed zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use.

He was scheduled to be sentenced on a charge of criminal attempt, part of a plea deal in which a charge of burglary was dropped. However, his attorney, Joseph V. Sebelin, court-appointed, said his client filed a motion to withdraw his plea. A hearing on that motion will be held at a later date.

DUI cases

Cody J. Wescoe,

34, of Lehighton, was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail on a driving under the influence charge. He was arrested on March 8, 2019, by state police at Lehighton along Route 209 in Towamensing Township. A test revealed the presence of a controlled substance.

He won’t be spending any time in jail on the charge. Serfass gave him total credit for 175 days spent in the Salvation Army’s inpatient rehabilitation program. On a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, he was placed on probation for nine months, consecutive to the DUI count.

He must also pay a fine of $1,000, license suspended for a year and render a total of 35 hours of community service.

Anthony King Dates,

58, of Philadelphia, was sentenced to serve five days to six months in jail on a DUI count. He was arrested on Aug. 29, 2018, by state police at the Pocono barracks along the turnpike in East Penn Township. A test revealed a 0.15 BAC.

He was also ordered to pay a fine of $500, license suspended for a year and render 25 hours of community service. On a summary motor vehicle code violation he was fined $150.

He will begin the jail term at 9 a.m. on July 6.

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