Carbon man admits to assaults, drug count

A Carbon County man entered guilty pleas in the county court on Tuesday morning to assault counts and a drug charge.

Christopher Serrano, 38, of Lehighton, and formerly of Summit Hill, pleaded to two counts of simple assault and one count of possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine.

He was arrested twice for assaulting his wife. The first arrest occurred on Nov. 19, 2018, at their Summit Hill residence. He assaulted her a second time on June 24, again at the Summit Hill residence.

The drug charge stems from an incident on Aug. 24, 2018, filed by Nesquehoning police at a residence along Railroad Street.

In exchange for the simple assault pleas, felony counts of strangulation were dropped in a plea bargain with the district attorney’s office.

Serrano is currently an inmate in the county prison on the charges.

Serrano told the court, “I would like to get back with my family,” adding he would follow any court order.

Nanovic sentenced him to serve a total of six to 18 months in prison on the charges and ordered he get both drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations and follow any recommendations for treatment, attend and successfully complete an anger management course, pay court costs of about $1,000, pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole and have no contact with the victim.

He was given credit for 99 days already served.