Log In


Reset Password

Carbon County court

A Jim Thorpe man admitted in the county court on Thursday to threatening his grandmother in a domestic dispute.

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

Penn Forest incident

Brandon Dylan Mangual

, 24, pleaded to one count of terroristic threats for an incident on Jan. 1, 2016. State police at Fern Ridge responded to a domestic complaint at a residence along Autumn Lane in Penn Forest Township. Troopers learned through an investigation that Mangual had threatened his grandmother during a dispute which, police indicated, involved other family members.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Greek said the grandmother has indicated she no longer wants the charges to be pursued, but the commonwealth decided to continue prosecution.

Mangual is currently an inmate in the county prison on a probation violation petition filed by the adult probation office.

Serfass sentenced him to serve one to one day less 24 months in prison with credit for 18 days already served. He also ordered Mangual to get both drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations and render 100 hours of community service when paroled. Mangual was previously placed in the county’s Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition probation program on the charge but was revoked from it for violating conditions.

Other pleas

Veronica Lynn Vogel

, 22, of Jim Thorpe, pleaded to one count of theft. She was charged for her part in a burglary that occurred on March 6, 2018, at a residence along Hemlock Drive, Penn Forest Township. There are two co-defendants in the case. State police at Lehighton filed the charges.

She is currently an inmate in the county prison.

Serfass placed her on probation for 24 months and ordered he to supply a DNA sample and render 100 hours of community service.

Matthew E. Markley

, 30, of Bowmanstown, pleaded to one count of false identification to law enforcement. He was arrested on June 16, 2017, by Lehighton police following a traffic stop along Second Street. He provided a false name at the stop.

Sentencing was deferred.

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