A Carbon County man admitted in the county court on Monday to using a credit card illegally to make purchases.

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

Franklin incident

Robert Paul Applegate Jr.,

39, of Lehighton, pleaded guilty to three counts of access device fraud. In exchange for the plea three other counts of access device fraud were dropped.

Applegate was charged by Franklin Township police with using the credit card of a township resident without her permission to make purchases.

Serfass placed Applegate on probation for 36 months on each count, running concurrently, and ordered he make restitution of $304.50 and render a total of 150 hours of community service.

Other pleas

Christine Seip

, 40, of Catasauqua, pleaded to one count of theft. She was charged by state police at Fern Ridge with her part in the theft of two diamond rings from a residence along Arapahoe Road in Albrightsville, Penn Forest Township, on Nov. 19, 2016. The rings have since been recovered.

Serfass deferred sentencing so Seip could apply for placement in the county’s Intermediate Punishment Program — house arrest.

Dana Fratesi

, 34, of Lehighton, pleaded to one count of harassment, as a summary offense, with a charge of simple assault dropped in a plea agreement.

She was charged by Lehighton police for an incident on May 28 in the 100 block of South Second Street. Police responded to a report of a fight in progress involving two men. On scene, as the officers were dealing with the two men, Fratesi and Tara Troxell, 45, of Lehighton, got into an altercation. Both were charged with simple assault and harassment counts.

Serfass imposed a fine of $300 and costs.

Troxell previously entered a plea to harassment and was also fined $300 and costs for her part in the altercation.

Norman J. King

, 39, of Philadelphia, pleaded to one count of possession of a small amount of marijuana.

He was arrested on July 29 by state police at Lehighton along Main Road in Franklin Township following a traffic stop.

Serfass imposed a fine of $300 and costs.

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