Carbon man who threatened neighbor enters guilty plea

A Carbon County man, who threatened his neighbor, entered guilty pleas in three pending criminal cases on Tuesday in the county court.

Howard B. McLaughlin, 42, of Nesquehoning, pleaded to one count each of simple assault, terroristic threats, persistent disorderly conduct and harassment.

He was arrested on the threats charge on June 28, 2018, by Nesquehoning police for threatening to kill three people. On that date police received a call from a woman who said that McLaughlin had threatened the victim’s boyfriend and threatened to kill him. The caller also said that McLaughlin was just taken to the emergency room for a mental health evaluation.

Earlier that day police Chief Sean Smith was at McLaughlin’s residence where a fight had broken out between McLaughlin and the caller’s boyfriend.

The couple told police that McLaughlin called and threatened to kill him and his girlfriend and her son.

McLaughlin was found a little while later walking along Route 54 and denied threatening anyone.

He later admitted calling the boyfriend after getting out of the emergency room but didn’t recall threatening to kill him.

For the incident involving Smith, he was charged with simple assault. The harassment occurred on Nov. 8, 2018, filed by Nesquehoning police for McLaughlin sending harassing text messages to another neighbor.

Defense attorney Matthew Mottola of the public defender’s office told the court that his client was being treated for mental health issues at the time of the incidents and said the medication he was prescribed had caused his actions.

McLaughlin told the court he had stopped taking the medication and has had no problems since.

Matika placed him on probation for a total of 18 months on all the counts and ordered him to render a total of 100 hours of community service, get a mental health evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, attend and successfully complete an anger management course, pay court costs of about $1,000, have no contact with any of the victims and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on probation.