A Lehighton man was sentenced to a county prison term on Tuesday after pleading guilty to three criminal counts involving police officers.

Ricky Lee Emerich Jr., 37, pleaded to one count each of terroristic threats, simple assault, institutional vandalism and two summary offenses of disorderly conduct.

Judge Steven R. Serfass accepted the pleas.

In exchange for the pleas, a felony count of aggravated assault was dropped by the district attorney’s office in a plea deal.

Emerich was arrested on April 27 by Lehighton for incidents along Mahoning Street.

Police responded to a residence for loud music.

After warning the defendant about the music, officers left.

A short time later they were dispatched back to the home for the same problem.

Emerich was taken into custody, and as he was being placed in the patrol car, he threatened to kill the officers and kicked one of them in the stomach.

At the Mahoning Township police station he put a hole in a wall in the building.

Emerich has been an inmate in the county prison since his arrest, and his plea was entered via video from the jail.

Emerich told the court, “I want to seriously apologize for what I did.”

Serfass sentenced him to serve one day less 12 to one day less 24 months in prison and ordered he get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, render 100 hours of community service when paroled, make restitution to Mahoning Township of $1,950 for damages to the wall, pay court costs of about $1,000 and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole.

On the two conduct charges he was fined a total of $600.

He was given credit for 70 days already served.