Carbon man given prison term for resisting arrest, fleeing

A Carbon County man was sentenced to a county prison term on Monday afternoon after admitting to fleeing police and resisting arrest counts.

Samuel Lazarchick, 40, of Lehighton, pleaded before Judge Steven R. Serfass to one count each of fleeing or attempting to elude police, a felony, and resisting arrest, recklessly endangering another person. Possession of a controlled substance and two summary motor vehicle code violations. Lazarchick was originally charged with 26 counts including aggravated assault, another count of reckless endangering and drug possession and multiple motor vehicle code charges.

He was arrested on Sept. 22, when Lehighton police attempted to stop him for an equipment violation on his vehicle. At first Lazarchick slowed down for a period and then accelerated and led police on a chase, which continued from Lehighton into Franklin Township and then down Route 248 toward Palmerton. During the pursuit, police attempted to stop him by boxing his vehicle in with his vehicle damaging a police cruiser. He continued into the parking lot of the Bowmanstown Diner, where he abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot onto Fireline Road. He was eventually stopped by police. Police had to use substantial force to take Lazarchick into custody, during which officer Bruce Broyles of Lehighton police, was injured. Police also said they found 2 grams of methamphetamine on him.

Defense attorney Matthew J. Rapa said the arresting officer and Broyles agreed to the plea deal. He said Lazarchick has been trying to get into an inpatient drug rehabilitation program to address an addiction problem. His wife spoke to the court of her efforts to get him into such a program.

Serfass told Lazarchick, “This was a foolish thing you did here.” He added he would go along with a county sentence based on what he heard that Lazarchick was trying to do to address his problem and his family’s support.

Serfass sentenced him to serve a total six to one day less 24 months in prison followed by one year of probation. He was given credit for 43 days already served. He was also ordered to make restitution of $4,660.60 for damages to the cruiser, supply a DNA sample, get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use, pay court costs of about $1,000, pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole and probation and render a total of 150 hours of community service when paroled.