Woman given prison term for driving drunk with juveniles in vehicle

A Carbon County woman was sentenced to a county prison term on Friday in the county court after admitting driving drunk with a juvenile in the vehicle.

She previously pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and related charges before Judge Steven R. Serfass.

Stephanie Marie Fairchild, 36, of Lehighton, was sentenced in two cases. He previously pleaded to DUI and endangering the welfare of child and a second DUI.

She was arrested on the first case on Dec. 7, 2016, by Jim Thorpe police along Allen Street. At the stop, police said two juveniles were in the vehicle. The second arrest occurred on April 4, 2017, by state police at Lehighton along Maury Road in Penn Forest Township. In both cases tests revealed the presence of a controlled substance.

In the first case Serfass, on the DUI charge, sentenced her to serve 72 hours to 60 months in jail, a fine of $1,500 and one-year license suspension. On the endangering count she was sentenced to serve three to 23 months in prison.

In the second DUI case she was sentenced to serve 90 days to 60 months in prison, a fine of $1,500 and her license was suspended for 18 months. The prison terms run concurrent to each other. She was given credit for 14 days spent in prison.

She was also ordered to render a total of 300 hours of community service when paroled and zero tolerance for drug or alcohol use.

Fairchild, an inmate in the county prison, is also facing a parole violation in Lehigh County.