Carbon man admits to assault on police and DUI in pending cases

A Carbon County man entered guilty pleas Thursday afternoon in the county court in three pending criminal cases, two involving assaults on police officers.

Brandon Michael William Coulson, 29, of Palmerton, pleaded to two counts each of simple assault and resisting arrest and one count each of driving under the influence and driving while under suspension — DUI related.

He was arrested on July 14, 2017, by Palmerton police who attempted to serve an active arrest warrant on him at his home along Princeton Avenue. He resisted police, who had to use substantial force to take him into custody. During the arrest, police said he kicked officer Shawn A. Leadbetter.

The second arrest occurred on Nov. 17, 2018, when police responded to the Palmerton Hotel for a report of a man with an injury and acting strangely. The suspect was Coulson. Police took him to the emergency room of the Palmerton hospital for treatment. After receiving treatment police attempted to take him into custody and he resisted. Police had to use force to take him into custody. During the struggle he head-butted officer Dane O’Brien, the police report states.

The DUI occurred on March 5, 2017, along Lafayette Avenue in Palmerton. A test revealed the presence of a controlled substance.

Coulson told the court he since entered an inpatient rehabilitation program for his addiction problem. He also attempted to deny head-butting O’Brien and said the kicking of Leadbetter was not intentional. But Serfass reminded him in entering a guilty plea he accepts the facts as presented by the commonwealth, which indicate the two actions by him against the officers occurred.

On the DUI count Serfass sentenced him to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000, license suspended for a year and zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use.

On the other counts he was sentenced to serve a total of six to one day less 24 months in prison with all the terms running concurrently. He was given credit for 160 days spent in jail to date on the charges.

He was also ordered to pay court costs of about $1,000, pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole and render a total of 225 hours of community service during the length of his sentence.