Schuylkill County court — guilty pleas
Schuylkill County judges have accepted guilty pleas from five people charged by local police.
The offenders were also ordered to pay court costs and fees.
Walter J. Deetz, 47, of Barnesville, was charged by Rush Township police with fraud altering, forging, or counterfeiting a title; failing to have insurance; driving without a license; and fraudulent use or removal of a registration plate on Feb. 23, 2015.
He pleaded guilty to all but the fraud charge, and Judge James P. Goodman fined him a total of $600.
Max E. Gasker, 40, of Nesquehoning, was charged by West Penn Township police with defiant trespass on May 15, 2015.
Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin accepted his guilty plea and fined him $150.
Robert A. Bachert, 68, of Coaldale, was charged by Tamaqua police with driving under the influence and driving without headlights and taillights on Sept. 27, 2016.
Goodman accepted his guilty plea and sentenced him to 10 days to two years in jail, effective Jan. 12, 2018.
Goodman also ordered Bachert to perform 30 hours of community service, fined him $30 for each of the lighting charges, and fined him $500.
Bachert’s license is also suspended for one year.
He was ordered to complete Alcohol Highway Safety School, and undergo and drug and alcohol evaluation.
In a separate case, Bachert was charged by Coaldale police with DUI, failing to stay in his lane of traffic, careless driving and failing to use safety belts.
Goodman gave him the same jail time, community service, fines, and license suspension. He also fined him $25 on the traffic lane charge, and ordered him to undergo six to eight months of substance abuse treatment.
The careless driving and safety belts charges were dropped.
Brian K. Hettler Jr., 26, of Berwick, was charged by Kline Township police with three counts of driving under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of a small amount of marijuana, failing to obey a stop sign, and possession of marijuana on Feb. 27, 2015.
Goodman accepted his guilty plea, and sentenced him to time served to six months in jail, with credit for the 60 days he’s already served, on the DUI-controlled substance charge, and 30 days on probation for the marijuana charge, to be served concurrently.
Hettler was fined $1,000, and his license was suspended for one year.
He was ordered to complete Alcohol Highway Safety School, and undergo and drug and alcohol evaluation, and perform 10 hours of community service.
Two additional charges of DUI were dropped.
Nicholas J. Gadola Jr., 41, of Hazle Township, was charged by McAdoo police with possession of a controlled substance, use/possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of driving under the influence of a controlled substance, and exceeding the 25 mph residence district limit by 15 mph on Dec. 20, 2016.
Goodman accepted his guilty plea, and sentenced him to 72 hours to six months in jail on the DUI-controlled substance charge, and 12 months on probation each for the possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia charges, to be served concurrently.
Gadola was fined $1,000, and his license was suspended for one year.
One count of DUI and a speeding charge were dropped.
He was ordered to complete Alcohol Highway Safety School, undergo and drug and alcohol evaluation, and perform 10 hours of community service.
Two additional charges of DUI were dropped.
