Pleas entered in drunk driving cases
Seven defendants in pending driving under the influence (DUI) cases entered guilty pleas on Tuesday in Carbon County court. Senior Judge Richard W. Webb accepted the pleas from the following:
Stephen Robert Rutt, 40, of Blandon, Berks County, was arrested on June 25 along SR895 at the Bowmanstown off-ramp following an accident. Given a test, the result was .19BAC. He also pleaded to driving under suspension-DUI related.
On the driving under suspension charge Webb sentenced him to serve 60 days in jail, a fine of $500, and he will lose his license for a year. On the DUI count he was sentenced to serve 30 days to six months in jail, pay a fine of $500 and license suspended for a year. The jail terms run consecutive but concurrent to a state prison term he is currently serving which runs through 2016.
John J. Duke, 47, of Peckville, formerly of Lake Harmony, previously pleaded to two counts of DUI , on on Dec. 19, 2009, and the second April 23, 2010, both in Franklin Township. He also pleaded to one count each of recklessly endangering and driving under suspension-DUI related.
On the DUI counts he was sentenced to a total jail term of 100 days to five years and 60 days on the suspension count. He was placed on probation for two years on the reckless endangering. License suspensions totaled three and a half years. Fines totaled $2,500.
Duke attended and successfully completed a inpatient rehabilitation program run by the Salvation Army in Philadelphia. He was given credit for time spent in the program against the jail term and was immediately paroled.
Allen Dale Fink, 50, of Palmerton, was arrested on May 11 along Trachsville Hill Road, in Towamensing Township, after being involved in an accident. Given a test, the result was .09BAC.
Webb deferred sentencing to a later date.
Tyler Allen Kistler, 23, of Lehighton, was arrested on June 11 along W. Bowmantown Rd., in East Penn Township. Given a test, the result showed the presence of a controlled substance in his system.
Webb deferred sentencing so Kistler could apply for placement in the Intermediate Punishment Program (IPP) with electronic monitoring.
Harry Walter Compton, 55, of Lehighton, was arrested on July 2 along Pohopoco Drive, in Franklin Township. Given a test, the result was .12BAC.
Webb deferred sentencing to a later date.
Onur Hamid Drehemsis, 30, of Stroudsburg, was arrested on Jan. 21, 2006, along Delaware Avenue in Palmerton. Given a test, the result was .24BAC. He also pleaded to driving under suspension-DUI related.
Drehemsis said he moved out of the U.S. prior to the charges and lived in Europe before returning to this country on Thanksgiving. He said he came back when he learned of the charges and is living fulltime in Stroudsburg.
On the DUI count Webb sentenced him to serve 10 days to one year in jail, a fine of $500 and one year license suspension. On the driving under suspension count he was sentenced to serve 60 days in jail, a fine of $500, and will have another year suspension. The jail terms run concurrently.
The jail term begins Jan. 6, 2012, and work release privileges were granted.
Michael L. Serfass, 35, of Nesquehoning, was arrested on Aug. 1 along SR903 in Penn Forest Township by state police. Given a test, the result was .15BAC.
Webb sentenced him to serve five days to six months in jail, a fine of $300 and one year license suspension. He will serve the jail time on consecutive weekends beginning at 9 a.m. on Jan. 6, 2012.
Each defendant that was sentenced must also get a drug and alcohol (D&A) evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, pay court costs, which average close to $1,000, and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on probation or parole.
