Tamaqua man pleads guilty in three cases

A Tamaqua man will spend up to two years in state prison after pleading guilty in three cases.

Russell Nelson, 38, was charged by Tamaqua police with access device issued to another who did not authorize its use; theft by deception/false impression; receiving stolen property; and possessing an access device knowing it was counterfeit or altered on Nov. 23, 2017.

He pleaded guilty to access device issued to another who did not authorize its use and theft by deception/false impression. The remaining charges were dropped.

Schuylkill County President Judge William E. Baldwin sentenced Nelson to one to two years on the access device fraud charge, recommending him for boot camp.

He was sentenced to six to 24 months on the theft charge, to be served concurrently.

In the second case, Russell was charged by Tamaqua police with intent to possess a controlled substance by a person not registered, possession of marijuana, use/possession of drug paraphernalia, and two counts of retail theft on Dec. 17, 2017.

In that case, Russell pleaded to all five charges.

Baldwin sentenced him to one to two years on the possession of a controlled substance charge; six to 12 months on the paraphernalia charge, to be served concurrently; and to pay court costs on the retail theft charges, with a $25 fine on each count, and ordered him to pay a total of $44.41 in restitution.

The sentence will begin at the end of the first sentence.

In the third case, Russell was charged by Rush Township police with making false reports and retail theft on Jan. 19, 2018.

He pleaded to the false reports charge, and Baldwin sentenced him to six to 24 months in state prison, to be served concurrently with the sentence in the first case.