A total of 21 defendants in pending driving under the influence cases entered guilty pleas last Friday in Carbon County court.

Judge Joseph J. Matika accepted pleas from the following:

Jeffrey Nelson Franklin, 38, of Slatington, was arrested on Nov. 14, 2020, by Lehighton police along First Street for DUI of a controlled substance.

A first offense, he was placed on probation for six months and ordered to pay a fine of $300 and render 25 hours of community service.

David John Czonstka, 26, of Jim Thorpe, pleaded to two DUI counts in two separate cases. He was arrested on Oct. 1, 2019, by state police at Lehighton along Fireline Road in Palmerton; and on Jan. 10, 2020, by state police along Ore Street in Bowmanstown. Both for DUI of a controlled substance.

He is currently serving a state prison term for another DUI in Lehigh County.

Sentencing was deferred so he can obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation for the two Carbon DUIs.

Jennifer Elizabeth Mustacchio, 45, of Kunkletown, was arrested on Oct. 14, 2018, along Canal Road by Franklin Township police, for DUI of a controlled substance.

She was placed in the Restrictive Conditions of DUI Probation (house arrest) for six months with 30 days on electronic monitoring, ordered to pay a fine of $1,000, license suspended for a year and must render 25 hours of community service. The program will be supervised by Monroe County adult probation office.

Patrick Ryan Conklin, 26, of Summit Hill, pleaded in two cases. To DUI of a controlled substance on April 1, 2019, filed state police at Lehighton along Apple Street in Bowmanstown. In a second case, filed Jan. 25, 2019, by Lansford police along Parkview Road, a DUI charge was dropped in a plea deal and he pleaded to a summary motor vehicle code violation of turning movements.

Sentencing was deferred so he can obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Kayla Pearl Ashner, 29, of Palmerton, was arrested on Nov. 28, 2020, by state police at Lehighton along Fireline Road in Lower Towamensing Township. A test revealed a 0.10 BAC.

She was placed on probation for six months and ordered to pay a fine of $300 and render 25 hours of community service.

Dana E. Perdue, 32, of Kunkletown, was arrested on Sept. 3, 2020, by state police at Lehighton along Spruce Road in Towamensing Township for DUI of a controlled substance.

He was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000, one-year license suspension and render 25 hours of community service.

He began the jail term immediately.

Michael A. Wagenhoffer, 61, of Philadelphia, was arrested on Jan. 26 by Franklin Township police along Route 209.

He was sentenced to serve 30 days to six months in jail, pay a fine of $750, license suspended for a year and render 25 hours of community service. The term runs concurrent with a sentence he is serving in Monroe County.

David L. Huber, 49, of Palmerton, was arrested on Jan. 21, by state police at Lehighton along Lizard Creek Road in Bowmanstown, for DUI of a controlled substance. He also pleaded to possession of a controlled substance and driving while under suspension.

On the DUI count he was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000, license suspended for a year and render a total of 50 hours of community service. On the drug count he was placed on probation for a year, concurrent with the DUI charge, and on the suspension charge he was fined $200.

He began the jail term at 9 a.m. on June 1.

Christopher Matthew Valek, 33, currently an inmate at the Montgomery County prison, was arrested on Nov. 2, 2018, by Palmerton police along Delaware Avenue for DUI of a controlled substance. He also pleaded to endangering the welfare of a child. Police said he had two children in the vehicle, ages 9 and 11.

Sentencing was deferred so he can obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Steven P. Sofranko, 49, of Lehighton, was arrested on Dec. 3, 2020, by Mahoning Township police along Parkview Drive. A test revealed a 0.30 BAC.

He was placed on probation for six months and ordered to pay a fine of $300 and render 25 hours of community service.

Trent Allen Sterling, 25, of Lansford, was arrested on Dec. 31, 2020, by state police at Lehighton along Route 443 in Mahoning Township, for DUI of a controlled substance.

Sentencing was deferred so he can obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation.

David J. Mirabelli, 40, of Lehighton, was arrested on March 27, 2020, by Franklin Township police along Green Street. He also pleaded to fleeing or attempting to elude police, recklessly endangering another person and resisting arrest. He refused a test. He led police on a chase.

Sentencing was deferred so he can apply for house arrest.

Kelly E. Lee Smith, 26, of Weissport, was arrested on Aug. 25, 2016, by Palmerton police along Mauch Chunk Road. A test revealed 0.19 BAC and controlled substances.

Smith was sentenced to serve 48 hours to six months in jail, a fine of $500, license suspended for a year, render 25 hours of community service and make restitution of $1,754.93. It was noted he owes $600.93, having already paid on the restitution.

He began the jail term at 2 p.m. on June 1.

James Michael Welsch, 31, of Forest City, Susquehanna County, was arrested on Nov. 27, 2019, by state police at Lehighton along Maury Road in Penn Forest Township, for DUI of a controlled substance.

Sentencing was deferred so he can obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Joseph Clemens Visnosky IV, 23, of Palmerton, pleaded to two DUIs. He was arrested on Jan. 3, 2020, by Palmerton police along Fifth Street. A test revealed a 0.10 BAC. He was arrested on Sept. 26, 2020, by state police at Lehighton along Route 248. A test revealed a 0.17 BAC.

Sentencing was deferred so he can obtain a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Nathan A. Eckhart, 37, of Albrightsville, was arrested on Jan. 6 by state police at Lehighton. He was also charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, a felony, and possession of a controlled substance. He also pleaded to the drug possession count with the PWID dropped in a plea deal.

Sentencing was deferred so he can apply for the house arrest program.

Amanda Cathleen Stonerock, 33, of Beaver Meadows, was arrested on Sept. 5, 2020, by state police at Hazleton along Main Street in Banks Township. A test revealed a 0.17 BAC.

She was placed on probation for six months and ordered to pay a fine of $300 and render 25 hours of community service.

Eric Martin Schlier, 40, of Lehighton, was arrested on Jan. 18, 2020, by state police at Lehighton along White Street in Weissport, for DUI of a controlled substance. He had a 11-year-old female in the vehicle at the time. He previously pleaded guilty to the charge.

He was sentenced to serve 90 days to 60 months in prison, pay a fine of $1,500, license suspended for 18 months, supply a DNA sample and render 100 hours of community service when paroled. On a charge of driving under suspension he was fined $1,000.

He is currently an inmate in the Lehigh County prison on a probation violation petition. He was given credit for eight days already served.

James Michael Hems, 28, of Exeter, Berks County, was arrested on Oct. 17, 2020, by state police at Lehighton along Route 209 in Franklin Township, for DUI of a controlled substance. He also pleaded to a charge of possession of a small amount of marijuana with a felony count of PWID dropped in a plea deal.

On the DUI charge he was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000, license suspended for a year and render 25 hours of community service.

On the drug count he was fined $150.

He was given credit for five days already served and paroled.

Amy Cacciola, 45, of Bath, Northampton County, was arrested on Sept. 5, 2019, along Route 443 in Lehighton by state police at Lehighton for DUI of a controlled substance. She previously pleaded to the charge.

She was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000, license suspended for a year and render 25 hours of community service.

She begins the jail term at 10 a.m. on June 4.

Wendy Ruth Hawk, 47, of Lehighton, was arrested on Aug. 16, 2015, by state police at Lehighton along Bridge Street in Weissport, for DUI of a controlled substance. She previously pleaded to the charge.

She was sentenced to serve 72 hours to six months in jail, pay a fine of $1,000, license suspended for a year and render 25 hours of community service.

She will begin the jail term at 9 a.m. on June 4. She was given credit for one day served and has two more to serve.

Firearms charge

Joseph Machado, 24, of Hazleton, entered a guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm prohibited with a DUI charge dropped. Machado made his plea via video from the Carbon County prison.

He was scheduled to enter a plea to the DUI charge but a last-minute plea deal had that charge dropped for the firearms count. He was arrested on Dec. 14, 2020, by state police at Hazleton along Berwick Street in Beaver Meadows. He refused a test. Found in the vehicle was a loaded 9 mm Taurus firearm. Because of prior convictions, Machado is prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Matika sentenced him to serve two to four years in a state correctional institution and ordered he get a drug and alcohol evaluation and supply a DNA sample.

He was given credit for 165 days already served.

Each defendant sentenced must also pay court costs of about $1,000, pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole or probation and follow any recommendation of their drug and alcohol evaluation.