Woman involved in robbery, abduction enters guilty plea

A woman involved a robbery and abduction incident that occurred in 2016 entered a guilty plea in Carbon County court on Tuesday.

Kerri Ann Blasko, 52, of Mahanoy City, and formerly of Coaldale, pleaded to one count of criminal conspiracy - simple assault before Judge Joseph J. Matika. The charge was added to the original complaint against Blasko. In exchange for the plea, the district attorney’s office dropped charges of criminal conspiracy - robbery, inflict the threat of immediate bodily harm, simple assault and false imprisonment.

She was arrested by Summit Hill police for an incident on Nov. 18, 2016. There are two co-defendants in the case.

Police Chief Joseph Fittos Jr. said at the time of her arrest, warrants were issued for John Russup, 54, last known address of Tamaqua; and Amber Neff, 31, of Spring Grove.

At the time, both Russup and Neff faced charges of two counts robbery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and simple assault.

The trio were charged in connection with an abduction that resulted in the stabbing and robbery of a Tamaqua woman on the evening of Nov. 18.

According to police, the woman reported that she had been kidnapped, robbed and stabbed by two women and a man.

During the incident, the woman had been picked up in Tamaqua and driven to East Mountaintop Road in the White Bear section of Summit Hill, where she was assaulted.

The assailants then took her money and threw her out of the vehicle.

Police found the victim on Bugzie’s Mountain, where she was treated by an ambulance crew and transported to St. Luke’s Miners Campus in Coaldale.

Blasko told the court she had a drug addiction problem at the time and has since gone through rehabilitation programs and has been drug free for two years and nine months.

Matika placed her on probation for a year and ordered her to render 50 hours of community service, make restitution of $66.66, a one-third share of the total due, and have no contact with the victim.

The charges are still pending against Russup and Neff.