The fourth and final defendant in the case involving the death of a 3-year-old boy due to fentanyl overdose was sentenced recently in Carbon County court to a state prison term.

Anthony Hannibal Pudvah, 32, of Nesquehoning, entered a guilty plea on May 5 before President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II to one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a felony 3.

Nanovic immediately sentenced him to serve one to three years in the state correctional institution in Mercer County. Pudvah is currently serving a state prison term of 36 to 72 months on drug counts. He was sentenced last August by Judge Steven R. Serfass to the state term after entering guilty pleas in seven pending cases.

Nanovic ruled his sentence would run consecutive to the drug term.

The incident occurred on Feb. 11, 2020.

Last Friday the parents of the boy, Gage Joshua Duch, 28, of Summit Hill, and Britney G. Burke, 32, of Bath, Northampton County, were sentenced by Nanovic after previously pleading guilty to charges in the case.

Burke was sentenced to serve one day less one to one day less two years in the county prison followed by five years of probation. She won’t be serving any more time, however, as she was given credit for 371 days already served.

Duch was sentenced to serve one to three and a half years in a state correctional institution. He was given credit for 382 days already served. Although he has served his minimum, since it is a state sentence, he will be taken to a state prison for classification and the state parole board will decide when he is released on parole. He began the jail term immediately.

The third defendant, Rebecca Lynn Walck, 23, of Palmerton, also entered a guilty plea in February to one count of recklessly endangering another person. In exchange for the plea felony 2 count of involuntary manslaughter, and felony 3, endangering the welfare of a child, were dropped by the DA.

She was placed on probation for two years, which runs consecutive to a sentence she is currently serving of one to 24 months in jail followed by one year of probation. She has already served the jail time.

Pudvah was also ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment and pay court costs of over $1,000. He received no credit and the term will begin when he finishes the drug-related sentence.