A Montgomery County man admitted to assaulting his then girlfriend in a child custody dispute.

He was one of 12 defendants in pending criminal cases to enter a guilty plea before Carbon County President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II.

Lansford incident

Alexander Anthony Amato, 22, of East Greenville, pleaded to one count of simple assault. In exchange for the plea, a felony count of strangulation was dropped in a plea deal with the district attorney’s office.

Amato was charged by Lansford police on March 30 for assaulting a woman, who was the mother of his child.

Nanovic sentenced him to serve one to 12 months in prison and ordered he supply a DNA sample, get a mental health evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, attend and successfully complete a anger management course, make restitution to the victim for $205.93, have no contact with the victim and possess no firearms.

He will serve the prison term on consecutive weekends.

Other pleas

David Harley Hartranft, 38, of Lansford, entered pleas in two pending cases to one count each of flight to avoid apprehension and theft, both felonies.

He was charged with theft on Oct. 22, 2021, by Summit Hill police along White Street, where he took a woman’s purse.

The flight to avoid incident happened Nov. 10, 2021 at Biddle and Patterson streets. Police knew there was a warrant for his arrest and tried to serve it but he fled. He was eventually apprehended. Jurisdiction for the Tamaqua case was transferred to Carbon County.

Sentencing was deferred.

Francis W. Chambers II, 35, of Nesquehoning, pleaded to one count of possession of a prohibited weapon for an incident on May 13 in Summit Hill., In a plea deal two felony 2 counts - possession of a firearm prohibited and receiving stolen property were dropped.

Sentencing was deferred.

Alexander Luis Candelario, 22, of Lansford, pleaded to one count of simple assault. In exchange for the plea, a charge of aggravated assault was dropped.

He was charged for an incident on Aug. 11, 2019, in Mahoning Township with a then 16-year-old the listed victim.

Nanovic placed him on probation for 18 months and ordered he get a drug and alcohol evaluation, supply a DNA sample and make restitution of $600.

Jonathan Murray, 23, of Lanford, pleaded to one count of criminal mischief, for an incident on Nov. 28, 2021, in Lansford, and theft on Nov. 22, 2021, also in Lansford, with a felony count of theft dropped in a plea deal.

He was placed on probation for a year on each count, terms running concurrently, and ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Jonathan Puppo, 33, of Albrightsville, pleaded to one count each of tampering with evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was charged with tampering on Feb. 3, 2019, at the county prison. A felony count of contraband was dropped in a plea deal. The drug count arrest occurred on Sept. 14, 2018, filed by state police at Fern Ridge following a traffic stop.

On the tampering charge he was sentenced to serve one to 12 months and on the paraphernalia count one to two months. He was given credit for 108 days and paroled.

Crystal Mary Steiginger, 41, of Nesquehoning, pleaded to one count of theft. She was charged by state police at Lehighton after an incident at the RJ Mart in Nesquehoning involving two checks. A felony forgery charge was dropped in a plea deal.

She was placed on probation for two years, consecutive to a probation period she is currently serving, and ordered to supply a DNA sample and get a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Ashley Bynon, 38, of Tamaqua, pleaded to one count of theft by deception. She was charged on July 3 by Mahoning Township police at Lowe’s store where she and a co-defendant took a cart of items into the store and tried to return them for cash.

She also has a pending theft count in Schuylkill County.

Nanovic placed her on probation for a year and ordered her to make restitution of $201.49 and supply a DNA sample.

Cody Hunsicker, 23, of Lansford, pleaded to a summary offense of scattering rubbish. He was charged by Lansford police on June 6, 2021.

Nanovic placed him on probation for 90 days and ordered him to make restitution of $100.

Gabrielle Marie Rodriguez, 25, of Nesquehoning, pleaded to one count of harassment, as a summary offense. She was charged by state police at Lehighton on March 14 in Nesquehoning.

Nanovic imposed a fine of $300.

Daniel William Hollan, 38, of Lansford, pleaded to one count of resisting arrest and possessing access device knowing counterfeit, altered. He was charged on July 6 by Lansford police.

He is currently serving a 11 1/2 to 23 month state sentence imposed in Schuylkill County. Nanovic sentenced him to serve six to 24 months in a state prison, consecutive to the Schuylkill sentence on the resisting charge and 3 to 12 months on the access count, concurrent to the resisting charge.

Bambi Lynn Heffelfinger, 44, of Lansford, pleaded to one count of persistent disorderly conduct with a charge of simple assault dropped in a plea deal. She was charged by state police at Lehighton on Aug. 27.

She was placed on probation for six months and ordered to get drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations.

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