Carbon County court — DUI charges

Four defendants who previously entered guilty pleas to driving under the influence and related charges were sentenced Tuesday afternoon in Carbon County court.

President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II imposed sentences on the following:

Steven Camaj, 42, of Pottsville, was sentenced in two pending cases, one DUI and the other a drug matter.

He was arrested for DUI on Aug. 27, 2018, along Ochre Street by Lehighton police. A test revealed the presence of a controlled substance. The drug count arrest occurred on Aug. 19, 2019, along Lake Drive by Lansford police.

Camaj is currently enrolled in an inpatient drug program that will run between 21 and 28 days.

On the DUI charge, Nanovic sentenced him to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000 and license suspended for a year. He was given credit for his inpatient time and paroled.

On the drug count he was placed on probation for a year, consecutive to the DUI charge.

Zero tolerance was imposed on drug or alcohol use.

Kurt Theodore Fischer, 56, of Albrightsville, was stopped on Oct. 18, 2018, along Stony Mountain Road in Penn Forest Township by state police at Fern Ridge. In the vehicle with him was his 13-year-old son. He also pleaded to a charge of endangering the welfare of a child. He submitted to a blood test, which revealed a 0.08 BAC.

Nanovic sentenced him to serve six to 18 months in prison on each count, with the terms running concurrently.

He was also ordered to pay a fine of $1,500, license suspended for one year, render 100 hours of community service and supply a DNA sample.

He will begin the jail term at 6 p.m. on March 6.

Ronald Kunkle, 49, of Lehighton, was arrested on June 16, 2019, by state police at Lehighton along Canal Street in Franklin Township. A test revealed a 0.25 BAC.

He was sentenced to serve 30 days to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000, and license suspended for a year. On a summary motor vehicle code violation he was fined $25.

He will begin serving the prison term at 9 a.m. on March 2 and serve it on consecutive two-day periods of Monday to Wednesday.

Gweneviere Jacobs, 19, of Fogelsville, Lehigh County, pleaded to one count each of possession of a controlled substance and driving under the influence.

She was arrested on May 3, 2019, by state police at Lehighton following a traffic stop along Fairyland Road in Franklin Township.

A test revealed the presence of a controlled substance. She was originally charged with 12 counts including six counts of DUI, along with theft and summary motor vehicle code violations.

Ten counts were dropped in a plea bargain. At the stop troopers found items stolen from the Walmart store in Mahoning Township in the vehicle.

She is currently an inmate in the county prison on the charges after recently completing a prison term in Lehigh County and is facing a detainer filed against her by Northampton County officials.

On the DUI count Nanovic sentenced her to serve 90 days to five years in jail, pay a fine of $1,500, 18-month license suspension, supply a DNA sample and make restitution of $192.94 to Walmart. Her arrest stems from an initial investigation of a theft at the store and search for her vehicle. On the drug count she was placed on probation for a year, concurrent with the DUI.

She was given credit for 60 days already served and will remain in prison to finish the final 30 days.

Each defendant must also pay court costs of about $1,000, pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole or probation and follow any recommendation of their drug and alcohol evaluation.