Lehigh County woman spared prison time after admitting series of thefts

A Lehigh County woman was spared a prison term on Friday in Carbon County court after the presiding judge took into consideration serious health problems the defendant was dealing with.

Jennifer Sue Marie Miller, 38, of Wescosville, was placed in the county’s Intermediate Punishment Program by Judge Joseph J. Matika for 60 months with the first 12 months on electronic monitoring. The IPP will be followed by three years of probation.

Miller previously entered guilty pleas to three counts of retail theft and one count of driving under the influence of a controlled substance. All of the thefts occurred at the Walmart store in Mahoning Township. The DUI occurred on Dec. 17, 2015, along Mill Road filed by Mahoning Township police.

The case was continued 11 times because of Miller’s continued health problems, which were documented by her attending physician. She told Matika she continues to have medical issues and has numerous doctor appointments scheduled for many ailments, including cancer.

Matika said he felt the house arrest sentence best addressed the health issues and serves justice.

She was also ordered to supply a DNA sample, get both drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations, zero tolerance for alcohol or use of nonprescribed drugs, make restitution totaling $1,178.11, pay a fine of $2,500 on the DUI charge and license suspended for 18 months, pay court costs of about $1,000 and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on probation.