Carbon County court — guilty pleas

A Carbon County man entered a guilty plea in the county court on Monday to a endangering the welfare of a child charge admitting he left his young son unattended.

He was one of five defendants in pending criminal cases to enter a guilty plea before Judge Joseph J. Matika.

Palmerton incident

Kenneth J. Shafer, 31, of Lehighton, was arrested by Palmerton police on Sept. 20, 2019, following an investigation.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Detective Kevin Buck at 12:05 p.m. Sept. 20, Buck received a call from a woman who said that her mother had witnessed a man identified as Shafer walking eastbound on Delaware Avenue. The caller said that Shafer was supposed to be at the residence providing care for their 2-year-old son, and that her mother had gone to the residence after seeing Shafer.

Upon entering the unlocked home, her mother found the 2-year-old alone in his crib crying, fully clothed, with a jacket on and a heavily soiled diaper. She then took protective custody of the child and notified his mother.

Buck located Shafer who told him that he needed to run to the store and that it wasn’t going to be long, so he assumed it was not a big deal.

Shafer told the court, “It was dumb. I would never want to hurt my son.” He said he is currently getting counseling. He said he and the child’s mother were attempting to work out a custody plan.

Matika placed him on probation for a year and ordered him to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, attend and successfully complete parenting classes, render 50 hours of community service and supply a DNA sample.

Other pleas

Anthony M. Helferty, 32, of Joplin, Missouri, formerly of Pocono Summit, pleaded to one count of persistent disorderly conduct. The charge was added to the criminal complaint. Dropped in a plea deal was a charge of possession of a prohibitive offense weapon.

On Sept. 1, 2017, Kidder Township police responded to the Econo Lodge along Route 940 in White Haven for a report of a domestic incident with a weapon. On scene police found Helferty involved with a female victim. The police report indicates a 12-gauge shotgun was found. There was also a protection from abuse order in place issued out of Luzerne County.

Matika placed him on probation for a year and ordered him to render 50 hours of community service.

David Twaskas, 40, of Stroudsburg, pleaded to one count of identity theft.

He was charged by rangers at Beltzville State Park, Towamensing Township, for an incident on July 19, 2016.

Twaskas is currently an inmate in the county prison facing a state parole violation charge. He has been in custody for an extended period of time because of charges in other counties and the pending state action.

Matika sentenced him to serve three to 12 months in jail and gave him credit for 350 days already served and paroled him.

He will remain in custody on a state detainer.

Harold Wesley Cleland, 38, of Nesquehoning, pleaded to one count of receiving stolen property.

He was arrested by Nesquehoning police on May 19, 2017, for purchasing an all-terrain vehicle at a time he knew, or should have known, it had been stolen.

Matika placed him on probation for a year and ordered he render 50 hours of community service, supply a DNA sample and have no contact with the victim.

Donald Joseph Krauss, 42, of Lake Harmony, pleaded to one count of receiving stolen property.

He was arrested by Kidder Township police on Nov. 1, 2019, for taking a misplaced cellphone from the Exxon One Stop service station when he knew it didn’t belong to him.

Matika placed him on probation for six months and ordered him to render 25 hours of community service, supply a DNA sample and have no contact with the victim.

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