Palmerton man given county prison term in five cases
A Palmerton man, who previously pleaded guilty to criminal charges in five pending cases, was sentenced to a county prison term Thursday morning in Carbon County court.
Christopher T. Smith, 32, was sentenced to serve six to one day less 24 months in the county prison followed by 30 months of probation by Judge Steven R. Serfass.
Smith pleaded guilty to charges of terroristic threats, possession of a controlled substance (two counts), and driving under the influence of a controlled substance.
He was arrested on the threats count on Dec. 26, 2018, involving the neighbors of his parents. In that case, he was originally charged with 15 counts. The victim told the court he has found items thrown on his property and threats made by Smith against him and his female companion.
He said, “I’m tired of dealing with it.”
Smith was charged for the drug counts on Oct. 29, 2017, by Nesquehoning police after he was found with marijuana while being processed into the county prison on an active warrant; and on Aug. 28, 2018, by Palmerton police for an incident along Columbia Avenue with methamphetamine found, police said. The theft occurred on Dec. 1, 2016, in Palmerton involving the theft of a shotgun from his father. The DUI was on March 25, 2017, in Lehighton along First Street. He refused a test.
Smith apologized for what happened and added, “I was never involved in a violent crime.”
His public defender, attorney Matthew J. Mottola, said Smith had a drug addiction problem, using meth, which led to mental health issues. He said he has addressed those issues with stays in inpatient programs.
In addition to the prison term, Serfass ordered Smith to render a total of 300 hours of community service, make restitution of $350 and zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use. On the DUI count, he was fined $1,000 and a one-year license suspension imposed.
He was given credit for a total of 61 days. He will begin serving the remainder of his prison term on April 1 at 9 a.m.
