A Monroe County man pleaded guilty in Carbon County court on Thursday to a stalking charge and was sentenced to a county prison term.

He was one of six defendants in pending criminal cases to appear before Judge Steven R. Serfass to enter a guilty plea.

Palmerton incident

Samuel Rice

, 20, of Gilbert, was arrested by Palmerton police on Dec. 22, 2017, for an incident along Lehigh Avenue.

Police responded to the area to a report of people in front of a residence with baseball bats and a disturbance in progress. When officers arrived, the suspects had left but police were given a description of the vehicle, which was later stopped. Rice was a passenger in the vehicle and admitted to his part in the incident, which began as a snapshot dispute on social media.

In exchange for the plea, the district attorney’s office agreed to drop charges of terroristic threats, defiant trespass, intimidation of a witness and disorderly conduct.

Rich told the court he is currently on probation for retail theft and is attending drug and alcohol counseling sessions.

Serfass sentenced him to serve one to 23 months in prison and ordered he render 100 hours of community service when paroled and have no contact with the victim. The term runs concurrent with the probation sentence.

He was given credit for seven days already served and will begin his prison term at 9 a.m. on Nov. 1.

Other pleas

Erik C. Speece

, 34, of Lehighton, pleaded to charges of resisting arrest and simple assault.

He was arrested on April 6 by Mahoning Township police for an incident involving a woman at an apartment along North First Street.

Police were dispatched to a report of an unconscious man, which was Speece. A woman on scene told officers Speece had assaulted her, causing neck and back pain.

Officers took Speece into custody, and while placing him in the police cruiser, he struggled with them. Police had to use force to get him into the vehicle.

On the assault count, Serfass sentenced him to time-served (116 days) to one day less 24 months in prison, and on the resisting charge one year probation, consecutive to the first count.

Speece was also ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use and render a total of 150 hours of community service.

Charles Vincent Mattucci

, 50, of Albrightsville, pleaded to one count of harassment, as a summary offense, in exchange for a charge of simple assault being dropped.

He was arrested on May 21, 2018, when state police at Fern Ridge responded to his residence along Sassafras Road in Penn Forest Township for a domestic dispute involving his wife. He admitted slapping her in the face during an argument.

Serfass imposed a fine of $300.

Mattucci is an inmate in the county prison awaiting sentencing on a driving under the influence charge.

Nafeez Hoyte

, 34, of Lehighton, pleaded to one count of criminal mischief.

He was charged by Lehighton police for an incident on Jan. 3, 2018, for damaging a front door at a residence in the borough.

Sentencing was deferred as Hoyte is questioning the restitution bill of $1,105 for replacing the door. Serfass told the district attorney’s office to investigate it and he would conduct a restitution hearing before sentencing.

Jeffrey Ryan Strohl

, 46, of Weissport, pleaded to one count of simple assault.

He was arrested by Nesquehoning police for an incident on June 17 at the county prison. He admitted assaulting another inmate at the jail. There were other inmates also involved. In exchange for the plea the DA dropped aggravated assault and assault by prison charges, both felonies.

Serfass sentenced him to time-served (43 days) to one day less 24 months in prison and ordered he make restitution to the county for $257.54 for a dental bill for the inmate assaulted, which is his share of the total costs, and render 100 hours of community service.

Franki Tobia III

, 20, of Herndon, Northumberland County, and formerly of Lehighton, pleaded to one count of persistent disorderly conduct.

He was arrested on Aug. 1, 2018, by state police at Lehighton, for an incident involving the Ebenezer Evangelical Church of Jim Thorpe. Tobia was operating a business, Franky T Roofing, and received a check for $3,150 for roof work at the church. The payment was partial, with the rest to be paid when the work was done. Tobia never did any of the work and left the area, first going to Florida and then Alabama.

As part of the plea bargain, in which charges of theft and receiving stolen property were dropped, Tobia had to make full restitution to the church by Thursday, which he did do.

Serfass sentenced him to time-served (15 days) to nine months in prison and ordered he render 35 hours of community service.

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