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Carbon County court - GUILTY PLEAS

A Carbon County man admitted to a charge of criminal trespass to entering a business and stealing liquor. He was one of seven defendants in pending criminal cases to enter a guilty plea before Judge Steven R. Serfass.

Liquor taken

Robert Steven Kugler

, 32, of Aquashicola, pleaded to the trespass count in exchange for a more serious charge of burglary be dropped. He also pleaded to a theft charge.

He was arrested for an incident on Aug. 20 at the Rausch Haus in Lower Towamensing Township. State police at Lehighton responded to a burglary alarm at the business. By the time troopers arrived, Kugler was gone. However, surveillance cameras at the business were used to identify Kugler as the suspect. He is currently an inmate in the county prison. Taken in the break-in was a bottle of liquor.

Serfass sentenced him to time-served (67 days) to one day less 24 months in prison and ordered he get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, supply a DNA sample and render a total of 150 hours of community service. On the theft charge he was placed on probation for a year, consecutive to the trespass count.

Other pleas

Allesha Moyer

, 29, of Northampton, pleaded in three pending cases to two counts of theft and one of criminal conspiracy — theft.

She was arrested on Jan. 25 by Lehighton police for taking jewelry from a residence along South Second Street. The second arrest occurred on Feb. 6 filed by state police at Lehighton for an incident along Lehigh Avenue, Palmerton. The third arrest occurred on March 7 in Palmerton also along Lehigh Avenue. She took cellphones in the other two incidents.

The jewelry that was stolen was later sold at a pawnshop.

Serfass deferred sentencing and ordered the adult probation office to prepare a presentence investigation report. Moyer is currently an inmate in the county prison on the charges.

David S. Behler

, 39, of Parryville, pleaded to one count of simple assault. He was arrested on April 30 at his residence for assaulting his neighbor. He is an inmate in the county prison on a bench warrant for failure to appear for charges filed in the incident.

Serfass sentenced him to time-served (44 days) to 23 months in prison and ordered he get both D&A and mental health evaluations and render 100 hours of community service.

Mark Bauder

, 49, of Lansford, pleaded to one count of criminal conspiracy, receiving stolen property. He admitted his part in a theft incident at a residence in Jim Thorpe reported on Aug. 23, 2016. Jewelry was among the items taken.

Bauder claimed he was addicted to methamphetamine at the time of the incident.

Serfass placed him on probation for 36 months and ordered he make restitution of his share in the incident of $2,005.33, get a D&A evaluation, supply a DNA sample and render a total of 150 hours of community service.

Earl Eldridge

, 38, of Jim Thorpe, a co-conspirator in the case, was scheduled to enter a guilty plea but failed to appear and had a bench warrant issued for his arrest.

Arthur Scott Hanman

, 49, of Jim Thorpe, pleaded to one count each of loitering and prowling at night and a summary offense of public drunkenness. A charge of indecent exposure was dropped in a plea bargain.

He was arrested by Jim Thorpe police on June 21 along Route 209.

On the loitering count he was placed on probation for a year and ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and render 50 hours of community service.

On the summary offense he was fined $300 and costs.

George Julius Wolfe

, 55, of Allentown, pleaded to one count of harassment. He was charged by Lehighton police with repeatedly sending text messages to a 17-year-old Lehighton female after being told by the female, her family and police to stop.

Serfass placed Wolfe on probation for a year and ordered he get a mental health evaluation, render 50 hours of community service and have no contact with the victim.

Serfass told Wolfe, “You’re 55 years old, stay away from 17-year-old girls.”

James D. Finnegan

, 51, of Jim Thorpe, pleaded to one count of obstruction of the administration of law. He was charged for an incident on Jan. 28. He was stopped by Jim Thorpe police for speeding. At the stop he gave false information to the officer.

He was placed on probation for a year and ordered to render 50 hours of community service.

He also pleaded to a motor vehicle code summary offense of driving at an unsafe speed and was fined $25 and costs.

Each defendant must also pay court costs of about $1,000 and a $50 per month supervision fee while on probation or parole.