Carbon man sent to state prison on drug count; others sentenced

A Carbon County man was sentenced to a state prison term on Friday on a drug delivering charge.

He was one of three defendants who previously entered guilty pleas to criminal counts and were sentenced by Judge Joseph J. Matika.

Weatherly incident

Joshua Albani, 38, of Jim Thorpe, was sentenced to serve a total of 21 to 42 months in a state correctional institution on charges of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, driving under the influence and default in required appearance.

Albani was charged with the drug count on June 6, 2017, following a traffic stop by Weatherly police. The DUI occurred on May 17, 2017, along Delaware Avenue by Palmerton police. A test revealed the presence of a controlled substance. He was charged with the default in appearance charge on Dec. 1, 2017, when he failed to report to the county prison to begin a jail term in another matter.

Albani is currently serving a 12- to 36-month state prison term imposed in Lehigh County, at the state prison at Camp Hill, Cumberland County.

Matika ruled his sentence would run concurrent with Lehigh.

Albani was also ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, supply a DNA sample, pay court costs of about $1,000, pay a fine of $1,000 on the DUI charge and license suspended for a year. He was given credit for 144 days already served on the charges.

He is eligible to apply for the new drug treatment program in the state prison system. If accepted, he would be placed in an intensive drug treatment program for about seven months, time in prison and then released to a halfway house. If he fails to get into the program, he will serve the term as imposed.

Other cases

Timothy Michael Mead, 25, of Moscow, Lackawanna County, was sentenced to serve nine to 23 months in prison on charges of burglary and two counts of criminal trespass for incidents in Kidder Township. The jail term will be followed by three years of probation.

He was charged by township police for entering residences on May 21, 24 and 26 along Crest Drive. In the burglary case he took copper piping from the home.

He was also ordered to make total restitution to victims of $31,631.83, get a drug and alcohol evaluation, supply a DNA sample, have no contact with any of the victims, pay court costs of about $1,000 and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole and probation.

Nicholas Mark, 22, of Catasauqua, was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail on a DUI count. He was arrested on Jan. 1, 2019, by Lehighton police.

He was also ordered to pay a fine of $1,000, license suspended for a year and render 25 hours of community service. On a driving under suspension count he was fined $200.

He was given credit for 65 days spent in an inpatient drug and alcohol program and paroled.