Carbon County court

A Lehigh County woman admitted in Carbon County court on Friday to driving a vehicle with her three young children in the vehicle while under the influence of a controlled substance.

And an Albrightsville man admitted driving under the influence of alcohol with his teenage son in the vehicle.

Both appeared before Judge Steven R. Serfass.

Franklin incident

Hilda L. Vargas, 34, of Allentown, also pleaded to three counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She was stopped by state police at Lehighton on July 6, 2019, along Pohopoco Drive in Franklin Township. In the vehicle with her were three children, two boys ages 7 and 1, and a girl age 8.

At the stop, troopers smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Vargas submitted to a blood test, which revealed the presence of a controlled substance.

Serfass deferred sentencing because Vargas must obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Penn Forest incident

Kurt Theodore Fischer, 56, was stopped on Oct. 18, 2018, along Stony Mountain Road in Penn Forest Township by state police at Fern Ridge. In the vehicle with him was his 13-year-old son.

Troopers detected the odor of alcohol and took Fischer into custody. He submitted to a blood test, which revealed a 0.08 BAC.

Facing a mandatory prison term, Fischer was granted a continuance of his sentencing so he could apply for placement in the county’s Intermediate Punishment Program, house arrest.