Four enter guilty pleas in DUIs
Four people charged with driving under the influence entered guilty pleas in Carbon County court on Monday and were immediately sentenced.
The four appeared before Judge Steven R. Serfass.Paul Zuzo, 44, of Summit Hill, was arrested on Oct. 2, 2013, along Flagstaff Road by Jim Thorpe police. Given a test, the result was 0.13 BAC. He also pleaded to driving under suspension-DUI related.Zuzo is currently serving a one- to five-year state prison term in the state correctional institution in Chester for DUI.Zuzo said he was taking advantage of all the programs offered in the state system for alcohol abuse.On the DUI charge, Serfass sentenced him to serve 10 days to 24 months in the state prison, pay a fine of $500, one-year license suspension, and get a drug and alcohol evaluation. The term runs concurrent with his present state sentence.On the suspension count he was sentenced to serve 90 days in a state prison and pay a fine of $1,000. He will also receive another one-year license suspension. The term runs consecutive to his current state sentence.Richard Ford III, 23, of Wapwallopen, was arrested on Jan. 10, 2011, along Broad Street by Beaver Meadows police. Given a test, the result showed the presence of a controlled substance.He was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, a fine of $1,000, one-year license suspension, get a D&A evaluation, and render 25 hours of community service.He was given credit for two days already spent in jail on the charge and began to serve the remaining 24 hours immediately. On a summary motor vehicle code violation he was fined $25.Bryan S. Skrimcovsky, 35, of Jim Thorpe, was arrested on March 1 along Center Street by JimThorpe police. Given a test, the result was 0.23 BAC.A first offense, he was placed on probation for six months and ordered to pay a fine of $300, get a D&A evaluation, and render 25 hours of community service.Patrick M. McLaughlin, 47, of Frackville, formerly of Lehighton, was arrested on July 10, 2012, along Susquehanna Street by Jim Thorpe police. Given a test, the result was 0.18 BAC.A first offense, he was placed on probation for six months and ordered to pay a fine $300, get a D&A evaluation, and render 25 hours of community service.McLaughlin was arrested by sheriff deputies before the start of the proceedings on a warrant issued to the domestic relations office for failure to pay support. McLaughlin was then taken to the county prison on the warrant and is facing a 90-day jail term.Each defendant must also pay court costs, which average about $1,500 in DUI cases, and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole or probation.