An Albrightsville man who previously admitted to attempting to strike an officer with his vehicle and then fleeing the scene and leading police on a high-speed chase was recently placed in a special state prison program.

Eric Pauloski, 37, had pleaded to one count each of simple assault, criminal use of a communication facility, fleeing or attempting to elude police and criminal trespass in two pending cases. The communication and fleeing charges are felonies.

He appeared before Judge Steven R. Serfass for sentencing. Serfass approved his placement in the state intermediate punishment program for two years. The program includes about seven months spent in a state correctional institution followed by several months in an intensive inpatient drug and alcohol program run in the state system and then time spent in a halfway house. If he fails to complete the program or is dismissed from it for violating rules, he would then be brought back to Carbon County for resentencing by Serfass.

Pauloski was charged for an incident on March 17, 2018, that began in Jim Thorpe and ended in Penn Forest Township.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Detective Lee Marzen of the Jim Thorpe Police Department, he was assisting in a drug-related investigation when police noticed a suspicious Dodge vehicle in the area of the borough police station without the headlights on and driving at a high rate of speed.

While investigating and making contact with the driver of the vehicle on the 900 block of Center Street, the operator, later identified as Pauloski, put the car in reverse and then drove forward and attempted to strike Marzen, and in the process, struck a parked Toyota Corolla.

Marzen ran back to his patrol car and attempted to stop the vehicle using his lights and sirens.

Pauloski fled at an extremely high rate of speed, and Marzen noticed he failed to stop at six stop signs on Center Street. At that point, Marzen lost contact with the vehicle.

Pauloski fled into Penn Forest Township, where he abandoned his vehicle. He then broke into a building on the property of White Water Rafters and took clothing from the facility.

Through the course of the investigation, police found out that the registration on the vehicle Pauloski was operating had been stolen. He was eventually taken into custody and charged.

In exchange for the pleas to the four charges, the district attorney’s office dropped counts of criminal conspiracy, one simple assault count, receiving stolen property, driving without lights to avoid identification or arrest, reckless driving, failure to stop and give information and render aid, accident involving damage to unattended vehicle or property, stop signs and yield signs, operating vehicle without required financial responsibility, careless driving, and registration and certificate of title required.

Pauloski was also ordered to pay court costs of about $1,000. He is currently an inmate in the state prison at Camp Hill, Cumberland County, where he was evaluated for the state IP.