Although he fell asleep during his hearing, a Cressona man will not have to spend time in prison after admitting to five separate crimes Wednesday in Schuylkill County Court.

Instead, Trent A. Schaeffer, 24, will spend two years on probation and pay costs, $200 to the Substance Abuse Education Fund and $312 restitution under the terms of President Judge William E. Baldwin’s sentence.

A clearly exasperated Baldwin almost refused to accept Schaeffer’s plea.

“You couldn’t even stay awake. You’re sleeping in the courtroom,” the judge said. “I had to wake you.”

Eventually, Baldwin allowed Schaeffer to plead guilty to theft of leased property, receiving stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, possession of prohibited offensive weapon and theft by deception. Prosecutors withdrew a second count each of possession of drug paraphernalia and receiving stolen property.

In the various cases, Schaeffer admitted stealing a laptop computer and a cellphone and possessing heroin, a glass tube and a soft BB handgun.

Baldwin also accepted guilty pleas from, and, pursuant to agreements between prosecutors and defendants, imposed the indicated sentences on, these people:

Robert J. Barlow Sr., 53, of Girardville — disorderly conduct; $100 fine. Prosecutors withdrew two additional counts of disorderly conduct.

Ronald Bowen, 28, of Shenandoah — conspiracy and criminal mischief; nine to 18 months in prison, 12 months consecutive probation, $50 payment to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account, $4,958.38 restitution and $687.10 bench warrant fee. Prosecutors withdrew charges of theft and receiving stolen property and an additional count of criminal mischief.

Paul F. Cheddar, 53, of Gordon — driving under the influence; six months probation, $300 fine, $300 SAEF payment, $50 CJEA payment and $60 restitution. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of obscured plates.

Ricardo Cola, Minersville — careless driving and public drunkenness; $525 in fines. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of DUI.

Samantha J. DiGilio, 25, of Coaldale — possession of a controlled substance; 12 months probation and $100 SAEF payment.

Geoffrey C. Garrett, 36, of Schuylkill Haven — two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one of DUI; 72 hours to six months in prison, 12 months consecutive probation, $1,000 fine, $200 in SAEF payments, $100 in CJEA payments, $915 restitution and 20 hours community service, with sentence effective at 9 a.m. March 1. Prosecutors withdrew two counts each of carrying a firearm without a license and possession of drug paraphernalia and one each of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, improper turning movements and operating vehicle without valid inspection.

Jason Gonzalez, 24, of Port Carbon — simple assault; sentencing deferred. Prosecutors withdrew two counts of robbery and one each of conspiracy, aggravated assault, theft and theft of lost property.

Darrell M. Harris, 60, of Mahanoy City — disorderly conduct; $300 fine. Prosecutors withdrew charges of obstructing administration of law and obstructing emergency services.

Benjamin J. Honaker, 32, of Port Carbon — possession of drug paraphernalia; 12 months probation and $100 SAEF payment. Prosecutors withdrew two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

Joshua D. Joseph, 31, of Tamaqua — possession of a controlled substance; 12 months probation, $100 SAEF payment and $176 restitution to the state police crime laboratory in Bethlehem. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Kenneth K. Kisekka, 31, of McAdoo — illegal operation of vehicle without ignition interlock; 12 months probation. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of driving unregistered vehicle.

John Mazack, 61, of Shenandoah — DUI; six months probation, $300 fine, $100 SAEF payment, $50 CJEA payment, $520 restitution and 10 hours community service. Prosecutors withdrew charges of driving unregistered vehicle and suspended vehicle registration.

Robert H. O’Hazzo Jr., 22, of McAdoo — DUI; 72 hours to six months in prison, $1,000 fine, $100 SAEF payment, $50 CJEA payment, $400 restitution and 10 hours community service, with sentence effective at 9 a.m. March 6.

Angel N. Tobias, 39, of Pottsville — hindering apprehension; 12 months probation.

Dwayne E. Zerbe, 55, of Pottsville — driving without a license; $200 fine. Prosecutors withdrew charges of habitual offender, failure to stop at red signal and operating vehicle without required financial responsibility.

A Mahanoy City man went to state prison Thursday after being sentenced after being sentenced in Schuylkill County Court.

Aaron Stevens, 30, must serve six to 24 months in a state correctional institution, President Judge William E. Baldwin decided.

Baldwin imposed the sentence after revoking Stevens’ probation, finding the defendant violated it by failing to report to his supervising officer, committing a new crime and using drugs.

Stevens originally pleaded guilty on Feb. 22, 2012, to possession of a controlled substance, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. At that time, Baldwin placed him on probation for 12 months, consecutive to his existing sentence, and also sentenced him to pay costs, a $100 SAEF payment and a $50 CJEA payment.

Mahanoy Township police had charged Stevens with possessing drugs and paraphernalia on April 23, 2011, in the township.

Wearing a prison jumpsuit during the hearing, Stevens unsuccessfully claimed that officials had been no help to him.

“I was struggling with a drug problem,” he said. “I was ignored. I do want to stay clean.”

All defendants who were sentenced must pay costs as a part of their sentences.

n Frackville: Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, 209 S. Lehigh Ave., is taking advance orders for a pierogie sale with pickup set for 8 a.m. to noon Friday. Patrons have the choice of boiled with butter and onions, deep fried or frozen. To order or for more information, call 570-874-7532.

n Heckscherville: Clover Fire Company, 8 Clover Road, will have an all-you-can-eat breakfast from 7 a.m. to noon Sunday at the firehouse. The cost is $8 for adults and $3 for children. According to a company release, $1 from each adult breakfast will be donated to Mallory Strong. For more information, call 570-294-0612.

n Mahanoy City: St. Teresa of Calcutta Roman Catholic Parish is collecting “Pennies for Our Parish” with a goal of raising 20,000 pennies. A jug has been placed at the rear of the church for people to drop in their change to help meet the goal, according to a church release.

n Nuremberg: The Nuremberg-Weston Volunteer Fire Company will host another new fundraiser, Painting with Tim from The Next Picasso, on March 19. The event will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at the firehall, 459 Hazle St. Tickets are being sold in advance for $40, which covers the cost of the supplies and snack foods. It will be a BYOB event, but the fire company will provide non-alcoholic beverages. For reservations or more information, call Rhonda Lescowitch at 570-384-3913.

n Pottsville: A Friendly’s Family Restaurant fundraiser to benefit the Fresh Air Fund’s Schuylkill Friendly Town will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. March 20 at Friendly’s near Fairlane Village mall, Route 61. A portion of the proceeds from all eat-in or take-out meals will be donated to the fund, which allows low-income children from New York City to spend a week of their summer experiencing the local fresh air, outdoors and nature with volunteer host families. For more information, call 570-292-2825.

n Saint Clair: St. Clare of Assisi Roman Catholic Parish is selling homemade pierogies on Ash Wednesday and every Friday during Lent as well as on Holy Thursday at the church hall, Mill and Hancock streets. The cost is $7.50 per dozen. The sale is by advance orders only. To order, call 570-429-2310, 570-429-0512, 570-429-0343 or 570-429-1942. Pierogies are available uncooked, frozen, cooked with butter only or cooked with butter and onions. Orders must be placed by Wednesday preceding the Friday pickup date.

n Shenandoah: The Shenandoah Valley PTO’s Chinese auction is set for 4 to 8 p.m. March 10 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 11 at the Shenandoah Valley Elementary School Gymnasium, 805 W. Centre St. There will be a shop-and-drop both days and people do not have to be present to win. Tickets will be pulled at 3 p.m. March 11. Prizes include big items such as a 50-inch TV, two American Girl Wellie Wishers, a night stay at the Kalahari Resort, four Disney Hopper passes, a ton of coal, themed baskets and gift certificates. All are welcome.

n Shenandoah: The Shenandoah Volunteer Group will hold its annual community Easter egg hunt at 1 p.m. April 15 at Bicentennial Park in the borough’s southeast section. The egg hunt is open to Shenandoah residents ages 1 to 12. No registration is required. The rain date is April 22. Donations are being accepted for the event. To help, donate, or for more information, call Mary Ann Bialecki at 570-462-0946 or Eric Becker at 570-205-3455. Donations of small, individually wrapped candies, plastic Easter eggs, unisex pre-filled baskets, Easter basket items — bubbles, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, coloring books, children’s DVDs, Easter storybooks, small stuffed animals/bunnies, gift cards and similar items — or monetary donations can be dropped off at the office of the revitalization group Downtown Shenandoah Inc., 116 N. Main St., or at the Shenandoah Senior Living Community, East Washington Street, no later than April 10.

A Tamaqua woman charged with assaulting and stabbing her boyfriend in that community on Dec. 18, 2016, is among those scheduled to plead not guilty Thursday during arraignment in Schuylkill County Court.

Rebecca Lee Keefer, 33, of 232 Mauch Chunk St., was arrested by Tamaqua police Patrolman Tanner Noecker and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment.

Noecker said Keefer got into a fight with Bryan Demshick, during which she grabbed a butter knife and stabbed him in the face, above his right eye.

When interviewed, Keefer said Demshick came up to her from behind and that she swung her arm around, accidentally hitting him, Noecker said.

Others scheduled to plead not guilty, and the charges against them, include:

Gabriella A. Tobin, 23, of 29 New Hill St., Pottsville — DUI, DUI-highest rate, violation of period requiring lighted lamps and careless driving.

Bryan J. Shipton, 24, of 1600 Mahantongo St., Pottsville— DUI, general lighting requirements violation and obscured or illegible registration plate.

Marie A. McElhenny, 30, of 133 W. Washington St., Shenandoah — driving under the influence of drugs, following too closely and careless driving.

Susan L. Nace, 53, of 325 S. Third St., Saint Clair — DUI-high rate, careless driving and failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic.

Lindsey M. Moser, 20, of 50 Yorktowne Road, Pottsville — driving under the influence of drugs, possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, careless driving and failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic.

Amber L. Blickley, 34, of 146 W. Main St., Girardville — driving under the influence of drugs, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked and failure to obey traffic control signals.

Shawnelle A. Young, 22, of 409 E. Norwegian St., Pottsville — DUI, disorderly conduct, failure to obey traffic control signals and careless driving.

David R. Kostura, 33, of 301 E. Bacon St., Pottsville — DUI, DUI-highest rate and failure to obey traffic control signals.

Joseph M. Evans, 23, of 420 Ridge Road, Orwigsburg — driving under the influence of drugs, violation of period requiring lighted lamps and driving a vehicle without an inspection certificate.

George T. Rohrbach Jr., 29, of 128 Water St., New Philadelphia — possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Candace R. Sisko, 23, of 65 N. Berne St., Schuylkill Haven — theft by deception and receiving stolen property.

Joshua E. Hernandez, 22, of State Correctional Institution/Mahanoy, Morea — simple assault and harassment.

Gavin D. Heim, 22, of State Correctional Institution/Mahanoy, Morea — theft, receiving stolen property, unauthorized use of automobiles and driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked.

James R. Ritter, 29, of 2709 W. Main St., Hegins — disorderly conduct.

Sammy J. Rohrbach, 30, of 414 Washington St., Frackville — false identification to law enforcement, possession of small amount of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Rashawn C. Gass, 29, of 111 E. Early Ave., Coaldale — burglary, criminal trespass, criminal attempt to commit identity theft, receiving stolen property, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kim B. Heiser, 61, of 400 Laurel Blvd., Apt. 701, Pottsville — hindering apprehension or prosecution.

Carissa N. Delpais, 28, of 147 Kiehner Road, Schuylkill Haven — possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jason Issermoyer, 34, of 124B Water St., New Philadelphia — theft and receiving stolen property.

Patrick J. Kubeika, 56, of 351 Chestnut St., Saint Clair — recklessly endangering another person and harassment.

Kevin J. Gordon, 31, of 10 Gallo Row, Minersville — terroristic threats, recklessly endangering another person and simple assault.

Arthur J. Johns, 59, of 317 S. Centre St., Apt. 1, Pottsville — simple assault.

Teresa A. Caruso, 57, of 305 Howard Ave., Pottsville — simple assault.

Rashawn C. Ward, 26, of 435 W. Oak St., Shenandoah — burglary, criminal trespass, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment.

John L. Heemaneth, 30, of 37 W. Broad St., Apt. 304, Tamaqua — conspiracy.

Karissa A. Correa, 28, of 228 N. Nice St., Frackville — possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Tabio Harris, 40, of State Correctional Institution/Mahanoy, Morea — conspiracy and criminal solicitation to commit contraband.

Joshua M. Tassone, 27, of 401 Schuylkill Mountain Road, Schuylkill Haven — theft.

Henry J. Ryan III, 45, of 339 S. Wayne St., Orwigsburg — possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jeremy C. Hess, 30, of Schuylkill County Prison, Pottsville — theft from a motor vehicle, theft, receiving stolen property and theft by deception.

Carol A. Evitts, 51, of 226 S. Liberty St., 2nd Floor, Orwigsburg — public drunkenness, possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Stephen J. Prentice, 31, of 62 Broad St., Box 35, Port Clinton — accidents involving damage to attended vehicles or property, driving while operating privileges are suspended or revoked, driving following registration suspension, driving without insurance, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic, careless driving, failure to give information or render aid, failure to use seat belts, failure to give immediate notice of accident to police and driving a vehicle without an inspection certificate.

Brianna J. Schaeffer, 23, of 64 Cherry St., Cressona — retail theft.

Darryl A. Shadle, 30, of 150 Beuchler Lane, Pine Grove — public drunkenness, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

John D. Berger, 32, of 451 E. Norwegian St., Pottsville — possession of drug paraphernalia.

A hearing officer for the Pennsylvania Charter Appeal Board in Harrisburg is trying to decide what the next step will be in what has become a lengthy charter renewal process for Gillingham Charter School, Pottsville.

This is according to Ellen C. Schurdak, an attorney with King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul Attorneys and Counselors, Bethlehem, the firm representing Pottsville Area School District in the case.

“The hearing officer that is assigned to our case issued an order which provided a deadline for either party to submit proposed exhibits/supplemental information. Both parties submitted proposed exhibits/supplemental information. We are now waiting for an order which decides whether the exhibits will be admitted into evidence,” Schurdak said Friday.

The CAB hearing officer assigned to the case is Sandra W. Stoner, according to Nicole Reigelman, press secretary for the state Department of Education, Harrisburg.

Gillingham began its quest for a second five-year charter in 2015.

The Pottsville Area school board has traditionally been opposed to the charter school and has continued to fight against a charter renewal.

Last year, more than $401,000 in taxpayer money was spent by the school district and the charter school during the charter-renewal process. Both hired attorneys and expert witnesses for the series of public hearings in April and May 2016.

On Thursday, Nicolle M. Hutchinson, CEO and director of education of Gillingham, said since the school district presented “supplemental material” in the case, additional public hearings may have to be held before the case is brought before the CAB.

On Sunday, Schurdak couldn’t say if it would come to that.

“Pursuant to the hearing officer’s order, each party submitted a motion with proposed exhibits. I cannot characterize these submissions pursuant to the Rules of Professional Conduct. The issue, to grant or deny the pending motions, is presently pending before the hearing officer,” Schurdak said.

On Friday, Richard A. Thornburg, Pottsville, solicitor for the Pottsville Area school board, referred all comments about the case to Schurdak.

Stoner could not be reached for comment Friday and Reigelman was unable to find further information on the case.

The Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority is preparing an Emergency Response Plan required by the Delaware River Basin Commission.

“We’ve been working on it on and off,” Thomas W. Schreffler, a project manager with Light-Heigel & Associates Inc., said Wednesday at GPASA’s meeting at its office at City Hall.

“Do we have to submit that? Or do we just file that?” Ian H. Lipton, the authority chairman, asked.

“Both. We do have to submit this to the Delaware River Basin Commission and also keep it on file in our office,” Timothy R. Yingling, GPASA executive director, said.

“Very good,” Lipton said.

Assembled in 1961, the Delaware River Basin Commission is a regional committee that oversees the river system. Its ex officio members include the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers North Atlantic Division, who serves as the federal representative, and the governors of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is the current vice chairman.

“The Emergency Response Plan is a document required by the Delaware River Basin Commission. Basically, it’s a document which should be placed in several locations. It contains pertinent information including names and addresses, priorities of who people should call, what to do if you have any kind of an accident at the treatment plant,” Schreffler said.

“It wasn’t required before. This is the first one that we did,” Yingling said.

On Feb. 28, 2014, GPASA submitted its Delaware River Basin Commission Docket Renewal Application to the commission’s Watershed Planning & Compliance Section in West Trenton, New Jersey.

“The DRBC Docket Renewal Application Item No. 15 required a submission of the plan. The authority was issued an approved Docket No. D-2002-041 CP-2 on June 10, 2015. The docket expires on December 31, 2018,” Yingling said Thursday.

Yingling did not release the copy Schreffler submitted Wednesday.

“I didn’t review it yet. It will be available to the public once the board adopts it,” Yingling said.

In other business Wednesday, Yingling said it cost the authority $2,381 to repair a belt filter press at its treatment plant at 1050 Route 61, Pottsville.

“It’s a machine that squeezes the water out of the sludge. We had to do a motor rebuild on it. It’s the first time we had to do a repair like that. It was going bad,” Yingling said.

In November, the authority hired Albarell Electric Inc., Pottsville, to do the work. On Wednesday, the authority paid the bill for the work.

Over the summer, GPASA discussed the possibility of relocating the stone arch stormwater-sewer drain that borders Arch Street in Pottsville and runs four blocks east to west, from Fourth Street to Progress Avenue.

At the authority’s October meeting, Schreffler presented two alternatives for the proposed project and both were deemed too cost prohibitive for the authority to pursue, Yingling said.

“We were worried about the price. It’s not cost-effective,” Yingling said.

However, Yingling said Wednesday the authority is still discussing ways to approach the project.

SHENANDOAH — Changes planned in the music curriculum in the Shenandoah Valley School District brought teachers, parents and students to voice their concerns at Wednesday’s school board meeting.

Due to the lack of a quorum with only four of nine school board members in attendance, there was no official meeting and no business was transacted. However, board President Daniel Salvadore allowed public comment to be heard for the convenience of those who came to the meeting.

Band director and high school music teacher Walter J. Choplick Jr., who is also the audio-visual technical adviser, explained the situation as the music curriculum for the elementary students will be reduced at the earlier grades and substituted with health and physical education classes by a certified teacher in those areas.

“My schedule right now includes seventh- and eighth-grade general music, independent piano lab, as well as AP (Advanced Placement) music theory,” Choplick said. “The proposal is to move the elementary band position, which right now consists of two- through sixth-grade general music and fifth- and sixth-grade band over to an elementary health and physical education position, and then, in turn, I would be taking over the fifth- and sixth-grade band, which would make me the five through 12 (grades) band director.”

Choplick said the change would mean students would not begin music instruction until the fifth grade, instead of the second grade as it is now.

“As far as formal music education by a specialist, if a student chooses to pick up an instrument it would not occur until the fifth grade,” Choplick said.

Choplick currently has two students in his AP music theory course, seven in piano this semester (eight is the maximum due to limitations of the keyboard lab), about 35 students in the band classes and about 20 students in each of the seventh- and eighth-grade music classes.

“Because of dropping fourth grade, fifth grade will be our starting band and sixth grade would be our traditional second-year band,” Choplick said. “We would have to get students scheduled somehow to be brought over for lessons once per six-day cycle, and I would assume the administration wouldn’t be pulling them out of core subjects or tested subjects.”

Choplick learned of the planned changes after elementary instrumental music/band instructor Kayla Stiely submitted her resignation.

“Last Tuesday I was called down to the superintendent’s office to be informed of this proposal that was talked about at the workshop the previous night,” Choplick said.

Choplick was the first person to speak to the school board and administration about the planned curriculum change.

“As you may know, there have been countless studies that show correlation between music classes in school and students having a higher IQ score,” Choplick said from the podium. “A 2006 study by the American Psychological Association showed that taking music lessons in childhood was a significant predecessor to higher IQ in young adulthood and a history of better high school grades. For younger children, the study found a positive association between music lessons and higher school grades and higher scores on achievement testing in mathematics, spelling and reading.”

The success of students who are involved in music show in their class ranks at Shenandoah Valley, Choplick said, noting that all band students in the senior class are in top 23 percent of their class.

Choplick said the change would also put a strain on the music department. He said there was a time the school district had only one music teacher/band director and it was necessary for the superintendent at the time to ask Choplick to come in and assist. He said the situation with one music instructor will return with this change.

“Between football games, parades, competitions and concerts, the band is the most visible aspect of this school to the public, reaching hundreds, if not thousands, of people throughout the school year,” Choplick said. “I would hope that the administration and the board would not approve a motion that would negate the progress that has been made over the past years of having multiple music teachers in the district.”

District Superintendent Brian Waite said his intention is not to get rid of music.

“I know what this gentleman (Choplick) can do and does,” Waite said. “We want to continue with the fifth- and sixth-grade instrumental music program. I’m not looking to get rid of music.”

Waite said schedule changes could make a better fit for Choplick’s classes, along with purchasing keyboards to allow more students into those classes at one time. Waite said the changes will allow a certified health/PE teacher for the elementary, rather than have other teachers conduct those classes.

“There are students in the elementary in fifth and sixth grades who are in band right now and taking instrumental music,” Waite said. “We want to continue that, and we believe with his schedule that we can do that. I believe in him. I believe what he can do. That would give us the opportunity to provide health and PE to our elementary students, which we don’t offer right now.”

Waite added that with a dedicated health/PE instructor, the other teachers can concentrate more on their courses.

“This was a win-win situation,” Waite said. “We get the health and PE that we need, we get more instructional time for the kids in the content area, and we’re still continuing to build a strong music program because of the gentleman (Choplick) standing up here.”

“It’s just a very, very big concern that we’re losing fourth-grade band in addition to having my taking over everything from five through 12,” Choplick said.

“We’re trying to find a balance here,” Waite said.

Also addressing the board was Eric James, Jordan Franko, Lynn Karosas and David Lindenmuth.

The almost-meeting started with elementary school Vice Principal Lesley Matus announcing the students of the month for December and January.

December Students of the Month were Angel Flores and Mason Morit, kindergarten; Gene Sinkus, first grade; Melany Arias, second grade; Jazabel Morales, third grade; Joan Menjivar, fourth grade; Ava Menjivar, fifth grade; Sophia Lozada-Delzell and Julian Heredia Zapata, sixth grade.

January Students of the Month were Ariesly Duverge, 4K; Declan Corrigan, kindergarten; Breonna Zelinsky, first grade; Valeria Hernandez, second grade; Mia Arellano and Joseph Meleski, third grade; Morgan Labosky, fourth grade; Noah Borella-Guzman, fifth grade; and Abigail Davis, sixth grade.

High school Principal Phillip Andras announced that senior Marisol Velazquez is the Shenandoah Rotary Club Student of the Month for January.

Waite announced that March 20 will be a snow make-up day. It was originally scheduled as an Act 80 day.

Police: Man

struck girlfriend

Pottsville police have filed charges against a Tamaqua man after officers were called to a domestic assault about 4:30 a.m. Feb. 20.

Police said officers were called to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill S. Jackson Street regarding a separate incident when they were notified by medical staff that a victim of domestic violence was there to seek treatment.

The investigation determined that about 3:45 a.m. a 25-year-old Pottsville woman was sleeping inside 1123 W. Arch St. when her boyfriend — Kerry Scott Fulmer, 46, of Tamaqua — entered the residence and struck her in the face with a computer tablet because he read messages between her and male friends that were on her Facebook account.

The woman suffered a visible laceration, swelling and bruising on her right cheek bone as a result of the assault, police said, adding that Fulmer could not be located at the time.

As a result, Patrolman Tina Sullivan, the investigating officer, charged Fulmer with domestic violence simple assault and harassment and obtained a warrant for his arrest from Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville.

Police ask that anyone with information on Fulmer’s whereabouts to call them at 570-628-3792.

Pottsville woman

assaults wife

Pottsville police charged a 28-year-old city woman with assaulting her wife during an argument on Thursday.

Police said officers were called about 5:35 p.m. to 18 S. 22nd St. and found a 29-year-old Pottsville woman who reported being physically assaulted by her wife, Sheila Snyder.

Police said the victim suffered a laceration above her right eye that she said was caused by Snyder hitting her with a closed fist during an argument.

When interviewed, police said, Snyder admitted to having a verbal argument with her wife and striking her during the argument.

Snyder was placed in custody and charged by Patrolman Jon Randolph with domestic violence simple assault and harassment. She was arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge David Rossi, Tremont, and released on $5,000 unsecured bail.

The victim was treated at the scene for her injuries by Schuylkill EMS, police said.

Hazleton woman

injured in crash

DELANO — A Hazleton woman suffered minor injuries when the 2013 Toyota Highlander she was driving was involved in a crash about 3:20 a.m. Monday on Route 1016, the Lofty Road in Delano Township.

State police at Frackville said Francia M. Marte-Tavara, 42, was driving south behind another vehicle when for some reason she struck the rear of the other vehicle causing disabling damage to her SUV.

The driver of the other vehicle continued south without stopping, police said, adding that Marte-Tavara will be cited for driving at an unsafe speed as a result of the crash.

Police: 2 arrested

for drug offenses

HAMBURG — A woman and teenage girl were arrested by state police at Hamburg on drug charges after a vehicle stop about 9:45 p.m. Sunday at Route 61 and Lowland Road in Tilden Township, Berks County.

Police said they stopped an Acura MDX for being driven at 83 mph in a 55 mph zone.

Police said they detected an odor of marijuana and a subsequent search found a back seat passenger, Marleigh E. Cressley-Lipinsky, 18, of Pottsville, in possession of a small amount of marijuana and a 17-year-old girl sitting in the passenger’s side front seat with a glass pipe with marijuana and residue.

Cressley-Lipinsky will be charged with possession of a controlled substance in Berks County district court and the teenager with possession of drug paraphernalia with Berks County juvenile authorities, police said.

5 escape injury

in Gilberton crash

GILBERTON — Five people escaped injury when two vehicles were involved in a crash about 5:50 a.m. Saturday on Route 924, just east of the East Main Street bridge.

State police at Frackville said Jose M. Batista Marte, 29, of Shenandoah, was driving a 2004 Mazda Tribute south in the lane when his vehicle struck the raised concrete strip diving the north and southbound lanes.

Police said Batista Marte reacted by slamming on his brakes and swerving to the right when the back of his vehicle was struck from behind by a 2005 Dodge Dakota that was being driven south in the right lane by Edward V. Fegley II, 24, of Mount Carmel.

Police said that Fegley applied his brakes and tried to avoid a collision but was unable to do so.

After impact, the Batista Marte vehicle continued across both southbound lanes and went off the road and up an embankment before coming to a stop, police said.

Both drivers and three passengers in the Batista Marte vehicle — Rosanna Pena, 32, Miguel Luna, 22, and Pichardo Crecencio, all of Shenandoah — were not hurt, tpolice said.

As a result of the crash, police said, Marte will be cited for not driving on roadways laned for traffic and Fegley for operation following suspension of registration.

Man, woman

charged for theft

FRACKVILLE — An Auburn man and woman were charged by West Mahanoy Township police after an investigation into a reported theft.

Police said they were contacted by representatives of Jack Rich Inc. after a customer failed to pay for an oil delivery and several attempts to secure payment were made by the company.

As a result, police said, Jeffrey Seisler and Dana Seisler were charged with theft by deception and will now have to answer the charges before Magisterial District Judge Christina E. Hale, Frackville.

You’ve got to know where you’ve come from before you know where you’re going, they shared.

Those celebrating Black History Month at the Pottsville Free Public Library took an auditory journey through readings detailing African Americans’ struggle for human dignity, and also heard the “beats” of freedom during a special program Monday.

The event was presented by the library through Darren DeArment, youth services librarian, and the Rev. Gloria Alexander, executive director of The Martin Luther King Family Enrichment Center, Pottsville. It featured a Read-In Chain, an annual celebration of African American literature; storytelling and readings from youth; and music by Glenn Roberts, instructor of Jazzie Music Studio, Pottsville. Roberts talked about the melding of music throughout the world and demonstrated on his drums.

“I challenge you to look back in time to see where this music came from,” Roberts said.

Tehilla Marcelle read David A. Adler’s book, “A Picture Book of Frederick Douglass.”

“Slaves didn’t have rights, and Frederick Douglass fought for his,” Marcelle, 15, of Minersville, said. The Minersville Area High School freshman said she thought Monday’s library program offered a unique perspective into African American history.

“It’s interesting to hear about black authors who were able to write books without their slave masters knowing about it,” she said.

For Raekwon Blye, 15, of Pottsville, it was his first time participating in a reading. His selection was called “March-Book Two.” Blye read of the struggles of Civil Rights activist and Congressman John Lewis in his efforts to end legalized racism and discrimination.

DHH Lengel Middle School student Jaevonna Jackson gave a brief book synopsis of Mildred D. Taylor’s “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.”

“It’s about segregation in the south . . . It shows a bunch of racism,” Jackson said. Examples she cited were African American kids having to walk in red sand, while the white children could take a bus; and the African American students got the most worn-out version of books, while the white children received the new books or those in better condition.

“The blacks got the leftovers,” Jackson said.

Today marks the final day of Black History Month.

“I attended because reading is so very important. As was alluded to during the musical presentation, African Americans were taken advantage of. One reader noted about Frederick Douglass’s life and how there were great pains taken to deny his access to reading,” Kelli Artison, Pottsville, said.

“It’s not accidental. Reading had a significant role in the suppression of people of color,” she said. “I’m here to support these young people in what they’re doing.”

Alexander and the library provided each guest presenter with a certificate of appreciation. She said this is the 15th year that a read-in was held in Schuylkill County and the eighth year it was conducted at the Pottsville library.

DeArment thanked participants. Several books DeArment said were available at the library were on a front table during the presentation. They included: “Firebird” by Misty Copeland and Christopher Myers; “Jackie Robinson” by Cynthia Klingel and Robert B. Noyed; “Keisha Ann Can” by Daniel Kirk; “Red Dancing Shoes” by Denise Lewis Patrick; “Goggles!” by Ezra Jack Keats; “Cause” by Tonya Bolden; and “The Most Important Gift of All” by David Conway.

The Martin Luther King Family Enrichment Center, 610 Mahantongo St., Pottsville, was first called The African American Heritage Coalition. Alexander said the coalition formed in February 1999 as a result of four African American students —Alexander’s daughter, Charitee Alexander, and Rory Reaves, Ronald Holiday and Janell Golphin — speaking of problems facing them in a predominately white, Schuylkill County school system and community.

“The students spoke of their disappointment that their schools taught only the ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, even though the schools at the time did not recognized Dr. Martin Luther King’s holiday. Nothing else on Black History was taught,” according to the center’s flier.

Alexander encouraged the students to learn about history for themselves.

“She challenged them to come together to read a book, a paragraph, a poem written by an African American; a history, contribution or invention by an African American. She opened the church doors to them,” according to information on the center.

The students’ interest never waned and the center grew from there, she said.

n Ashland: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 35 N. Ninth St., will have a steak sub sale with pickups from 3 to 5 p.m. April 8 at the church. Subs are $8 and available with sauce, onions and cheese. To order or for more information, call the office at 570-875-2581.

n Cressona: Bethany Christian Fellowship, 102 Front St., will have karaoke and a dessert bar from 7 to 10 p.m. April 21. The cost is $10 and the event will benefit the annual band festival. All are welcome. For more information, call 570-628-4350.

n Deer Lake: A polar plunge to benefit the Make-A-Wish effort is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Deer Lake Fire Company. Registration and festivities will begin at 11 a.m. The fee is $50 and will include a shirt. There will also be a Chinese auction with a browse-and-bid set for 5 to 8 p.m. Friday. Prizes will be drawn at 3 p.m. Saturday. Other offerings will include a basket of cheer at $2 per entry, 50/50 raffles all day and food and beverages on sale. Carmelo’s Roman Delight, 1240 Center Pike Route 61, Orwigsburg, will host and after-party. For more information, call Jackie at 570-527-6759, Becky at 570-516-4405 or Jamie at 570-292-6225.

n Helfenstein: The God’s Chuckwagon mobile soup kitchen has announced its 2017 schedule as follows: Mondays, 4 to 5 p.m. by Dollar General in Mount Carmel, 5:30 to 6 p.m. behind the old municipal building in Kulpmont; Tuesdays, 4 to 4:30 p.m. in front of the American Legion in Trevorton, 5 to 5:30 at the Marionette parking lot in Shamokin and 5:45 to 6:30 behind Rite Aid in Shamokin; Wednesdays, 4 to 4:30 at Balliet and Chestnut streets in Frackville, 4:45 to 5:25 near the playground in Girardville and 5:30 to 6 p.m. on Center Street at the high rise in Ashland; Thursdays, 4 to 5 p.m. near the American Legion in Shenandoah and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Zion Baptist Church in Mahanoy City; Fridays, 4 to 5 p.m. at Trinity Church in Milton and 5:30 to 6:30 at Beaver Place in Danville.

n Mahanoy City: William F. Killian III, code enforcement officer, gave his activity report for January at the Feb. 8 meeting of Mahanoy City Borough Council. Killian said he had 94 cases during the month, with 43 being closed. There also were 26 complaints and 48 requests for assistance, four court hearings attended and eight quality-of-life tickets issued. Five occupancy and three UCC permits also were issued.

n Pottsville: Jean Towle, librarian at the Pottsville Free Public Library, recently addressed members of the Pottsville Lions Club regarding the library’s history and other facts about it. In 1911, she said, the Women’s Club of Pottsville, within two weeks, raised some $10,000 through a door-to-door campaign that enabled members to buy the lot at 215 W. Market St., which would become the site for the library. Construction began 3 years later and was officially completed on May 1, 1922, costing about $30,000, which again was raised by the Pottsville Women’s Club, Towle said. She added that the library not only has a rich history in the community as a repository of knowledge, but also is a focal point for a variety of age groups and community groups seeking to grow intellectually. Towle, according to the Lions bulletin, said the library is “a special community resource in that it is not only a place to study and learn, but also a place to explore your world through the Internet as well as the many books, periodicals, videos and other high-tech innovations the library has to offer the public.” It is one of 29 District Library centers in the commonwealth and assists 17 other local libraries. Thanks to the Pottsville Lions Club, she added, the library is able to provide delivery services to those other libraries. She said the local county libraries depend on donations and fundraisers to help maintain their high level of community services. She said anyone can access the library on the internet at www.pottsvillelibrary.org and thanked everyone for supporting the library to help it achieve its community mission.

n Pottsville: First Baptist Church, 701 Mahantongo St., will have a free movie night at 5:30 p.m. Friday featuring “Book of Daniel.” Free snacks will be available. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 570-622-4553.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — The fifth annual Schuylkill County Youth Summit will be held March 10 in the auditorium at Penn State Schuylkill.

More than 100 students from 16 schools will meet to discuss housing, public safety, education and the environment, and plan projects for their communities from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Commissioner Gary J. Hess said.

“We wanted to engage the students and we have definitely done that,” Hess, who spearheaded the program five years ago, said last week. “I think they know what issues are out there in the community, how change occurs, that change doesn’t occur overnight, and if you see a challenge and you work together that things can change. Through this summit, it definitely got the students to talk about their concerns with the leaders in the community. There is still some work that needs to be done.”

Over the last five years, students have started numerous projects in their communities. They range from eliminating blight and fundraising to making sure students are prepared to get behind the wheel of a car.

Hess also said students are more aware of the job opportunities available in Schuylkill County.

“I think this initiative has taught both the students and the leaders in the community about coming together and taking a look at things from another perspective,” Hess said. “I am very proud of it and very proud of the moves that have been made and continue to be made in Schuylkill County.”

Nearly 3,000 students identified the four areas they wanted to concentrate on this year through an online survey late last year. They were asked to rank 12 quality of life topics based on importance to them. They chose housing, public safety, education and the environment.

Students will spend part of the day with mentors, which include public, school and business leaders. They will spend the rest of the day coming up with community improvement projects they will work on until the next summit.

The Youth Summit is open to the public.

“We encourage business owners, municipal leaders and business owners to stop by and see the process,” Hess said.

The annual event was organized by an executive committee of high school students. Kay Jones, executive director of Schuylkill County’s VISION, serves as facilitator of the event. Premier sponsors for this year’s event are M&T Bank, PPL and Hidden River Credit Union.

FRACKVILLE — State police troopers and municipal officers began the first of a two-day session Monday to become a trained drug recognition expert.

Under the direction of state police Cpl. Thomas Hornung, a drug recognition expert instructor, about 30 officers met at the Frackville Ambulance building to participate in the 16-hour course that began Monday morning and will continue throughout the day today.

Hornung said the course is only open to officers and troopers who completed and passed Standard Field Sobriety Test classes certifying them to administer field sobriety tests to impaired drivers.

That class dealt with teaching officers how to detect a driver impaired by alcohol.

The DRE class allows those officers to go one step further, to detect the use of a driver impaired by drugs.

Detecting drivers impaired by narcotics is becoming more and more important with the increasing availability of drugs, both legal and illegal.

Hornung said that police, both state and municipal, are seeing an increase of drivers being impaired not by alcohol but by drugs.

“More and more we are seeing drivers using illegal drugs compared to those using alcohol,” Hornung said.

During the 16-hour session, participants covered topics including Drugs in the Human Body, Drug Impairment Tests Outside of Alcohol, Seven Drug Categories, Effects of Drug Combinations and Pre- and Post-Arrest Procedures.

Horning explained that those certified as DRE can be called to assist any officer who pulls a vehicle over, suspects an impaired driver but also suspects that impairment is from something other than alcohol.

Drugs, according to Hornung, are defined as “any substance that, when taken into the human body, can impair the ability of the person to operate a vehicle safely.”

He said that drugs and alcohol are not the only things that can make a driver seem to be impaired.

Some drivers experience medical conditions that could lead a police officer to believe they are impaired but in reality they are not.

A DRE has additional training that can often answer that question. Hornung said that in 10 percent of the evaluations done by a DRE the driver was found not to be under the influence of alcohol or narcotics but that the apparent impairment was medically related.

A DRE can also testify in court. Hornung, for example, is recognized as an expert by judges in both Schuylkill and Northumberland counties as well as by several magisterial district judges.

After completing the 16 hours, Hornung said, the officers and troopers will be able to better serve their coverage areas and take drivers off of the road who are a danger not only to themselves but to other drivers and pedestrians as well.

David Everly, regional coordinator with the North Central Regional DUI Enforcement Program, Pottsville, said the increased drug use is becoming more and more apparent.

DUI enforcement details on Super Bowl Sunday resulted in 10 drivers tested for DUI. He said that all of the 10 were impaired by drugs and not alcohol.

Everly said he would like to think that the use of drugs has not increased substantially but that the ability of law enforcement to detect that drug usage is resulting in the additional arrests.

“The officers are becoming trained more and more in detecting illegal substances and this training is starting to show,” he said.

Everly said this week’s training will enable those who complete the course to hit the streets in time for next month’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

“We want people to know if they party, do it responsible,” Everly said. “If you are impaired by either alcohol or drugs, we will find you.”

Represented in these latest classes were state police troopers from station at Hamburg, Frackville, Jonestown and Reading as well as municipal officers from Schuylkill Haven, Shenandoah and West Mahanoy Township.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Louie Welsh, Schuylkill Haven, admitted it is a test of willpower to have only one fastnacht.

“They are just delicious. I could eat those six,” he said Monday about the half-dozen fastnachts he ordered from Plain & Fancy Donut Shop, Schuylkill Haven.

He said he’s sharing them with his wife, Darlene.

Today is Doughnut Day, held before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Local bakers were busy making thousands of the fattening treats.

Sue Renninger, an employee at the store, said it was going to be a busy day. On Monday, 30 or 40 people stopped by as of 1:30 p.m. to pick up orders or to give in to their craving, Elsie Schneck, an employee, said.

Jim McKeone, owner, said he is ready for the customers.

“We are probably going to make about 3,500 (dozen),” he said.

That amounts to 42,000 fastnachts. Last year, they made 2,000 dozen or 24,000. McKeone said they are making more this year because they ran out of the plain fastnachts last year. There will be plenty of four flavors: plain, granulated sugar, powered sugar and glazed. Plain is the most popular. For the special day, workers started making the fastnachts Saturday. About three hours are needed from when the delicious treats are made to when they are ready to eat.

The recipe consists of eggs, butter, water, a doughnut base, flour, real mashed potatoes and granulated sugar.

This is the first year in 52 years McKeone has not personally made the fastnachts along with employees. He is recuperating from a medical procedure earlier in the year.

Orders started in January. Besides selling them at the store, they are also available at Brok-Sel in Pottsville and Schuylkill Haven. They are sold at a market in Kutztown. Additionally, they will be made for about a month.

Cindy Keeley, who owns the Sites Luncheonette in Cressona, bought some for her customers — something she has done for at least 37 years.

“It’s suppose to be good luck,” she said about eating a fastnacht.

A half-dozen cost $6.75 and a dozen, $12.

Customers also wanted fastnachts at Martin’s Farm Market, Wayne Township. While the store has fastnachts available during the year, the special day is indeed popular. They plan to make 35,000 fastnachts this year, up from 30,000 last year. Workers were busy making fastnachts since Sunday, often working in 10- to 12-hour shifts.

“This is our 10th year,” Jason Zimmerman, who owns the store with his wife, Sara, said. Ten flavors are sold, plain, powered sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon sugar, glazed, Bavarian cream, white cream, peanut butter cream, strawberry and blueberry. He would not give out the entire recipe but said it included mashed potatoes and flour. Three hours are needed to make a fastnacht. About half are pre-orders, while the other half are walk-in orders, Zimmerman said. A half-dozen cost $7, while a dozen costs $12.

Terry Pugh, a volunteer, was busy standing over a deep fryer since 5 a.m. Monday.

“It’s actually pretty fun,” he said.

He carefully placed about 20 in the fryer waiting for them to get golden brown. Four minutes is all it took.

“They are a tasty sweet treat,” he said.

While passing the time, he did notice the marks in some looked like a dog paw and a rubber duck. One even seemed to have a face on it.

In the store, each of the ten varieties were displayed on a tray for customers to buy.

Darla Hamilton, Pine Grove, bought a half dozen, a mixture of glazed and blueberry. She was going to share but admitted it would be nice to eat them all.

“The blueberry ones are my favorite,” she said.

Joanne Purcell, Auburn, bought 2 dozen, a mixture of granulated sugar, cinnamon sugar, Bavarian cream, which are her favorite, and plain.

“You can smell them halfway up the road,” she said.

A Drums man accused of diverting monthly rent checks from residents at a Tower City personal care facility into an account for personal use was charged with bank fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Scott Capparell, 46, a former administrator at Heritage Mills Personal Care Inc., was charged in criminal information Feb. 23 with committing bank fraud, federal officials said in a news release issued Monday.

Capparell worked from April 2013 through July 2016 as the administrator at Heritage Mills, which provides personal care services to its residents, according to U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler.

During that time frame, Capparell allegedly diverted $394,517 worth of Heritage Mills residents’ monthly rent checks to an account at PNC Bank under his control instead of a Heritage Mills account at Mid Penn Bank, Brandler said in the news release.

Capparell allegedly withdrew all of the diverted funds for his use and the use of other unnamed individuals, federal officials said.

To conceal the scheme, he allegedly lied to Heritage Mills owners and managers and falsified Heritage Mills’ books and records, federal officials said.

The government filed a plea agreement which is subject to court approval. A date for Capparell’s initial appearance has not been set.

Special agents from the FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo is prosecuting the case.

Federal officials emphasize that informations are only allegations and that all persons charged are presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

A sentence following findings of guilt is imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The maximum penalty under federal law for the charge is 30 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.

Deeds

Blythe Township — Nelson P. Breisch to Pamela Breisch; 6 Trolley St., Cumbola; $1.

Cass Township — Edward L. Jr. and Karen Harley to Karen Harley; 60 Low Road; $1.

Girardville — Towncars.com Inc. to Vincent P. Darbenzio; 13 W. Ogden St.; $100.

John M. and Melissa A. Shields to Edward L. and Terry L. Hoffman; 15 Beech St.; $10,000.

Melissa A. and John M. Shields to John M. Shields; 226 E. Main St.; $1.

Melissa A. and John M. Shields to Melissa A. Shields; 224 E. Main St.; $1.

Mahanoy City — Towncars.com Inc. to Vincent P. Darbenzio; 429 E. Mahanoy Ave.; $500.

Towncars.com Inc. to Vincent P. Darbenzio; 512 W. Centre St.; $100.

Minersville — Andrea N. Kline to Modesto R. Medina and Sonia M. Villegas; 414 New Castle St.; $14,500.

Angela Haas to Jeffrey and Kelly Kline; 102 N. Second St.; $15,000.

Pottsville — Summer Hill Building and Contracting Inc. to John and Linda A. Maskerines; 0.193-acre property on Timber Road, Forest Hills; $5,000.

Robert Shirer to Abraham Fennell; 508 Peacock St.; $1.

Abraham Fennell to Robert and Jane Dutton; 508 Peacock St.; $12,000.

Already serving state prison time in one case, Luis A. Melendez could remain behind bars even longer after admitting recently in Schuylkill County Court that he had a sexual encounter in July 2016 with a teenage boy.

Melendez, 57, of Hecla, pleaded guilty on Feb. 22 to corruption of minors and indecent assault.

President Judge William E. Baldwin accepted Melendez’s plea, but did not immediately sentence the defendant. Instead, the judge ordered the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board to prepare an evaluation of Melendez to help him determine whether the defendant is a sexually violent predator.

That determination, which Baldwin will make, will affect the duration and nature of the Megan’s Law sanctions the judge will impose on Melendez at the time of sentencing. Prosecutors have the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that Melendez is a sexually violent predator.

After entering his plea, Melendez returned to Schuylkill County Prison, where he is being held in that case in lieu of $25,000 straight cash bail pending further court action.

During the hearing, Melendez said little except that he understood the terms and consequences of his plea and was entering it knowingly and voluntarily.

State police at Frackville charged Melendez with having sexual contact with a 16-year-old boy on July 2, 2016, in Hecla.

Police said that between 12:01 and 12:30 a.m., Melendez started poking the boy in the chest. Melendez then started talking with the boy about sex, tugged several times at the front of his shorts and asked him sex-related questions, including ones concerning what the victim did with his girlfriend, police said.

Police said the incident took an even more serious turn when Melendez tried to pull back the boy’s shorts in order to look at his private area.

Melendez did stop asking questions when the boy said he was uncomfortable and asked him to stop, according to police. Melendez said he was having fun with the victim, although he admitted tugging at his shorts because he wanted to see his private area, police said.

In the other case, Judge John E. Domalakes on Sept. 23, 2016, sentenced Melendez to serve one to five years in a state correctional institution after removing him from the intermediate punishment program as the result of the sex-related case.

On Oct. 19, 2011, Melendez pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, disregarding traffic lane and violation of restrictions on alcoholic beverages. Prosecutors withdrew charges of failure to drive at a safe speed and seat belt violation.

At that time, Domalakes placed Melendez in the intermediate punishment program for five years, and also sentenced him to pay costs, $1,550 in fines, $300 to the Substance Abuse Education Fund and $60 restitution to Schuylkill Medical Center-South Jackson Street.

State police at Frackville alleged Melendez was DUI on Nov. 14, 2010, in East Brunswick Township.

The defendant

· Name: Luis A. Melendez

· Age: 57

· Residence: Hecla

· Crimes committed: Corruption of minors and indecent assault

Deeds

Barry Township — Elva G. Lucas, individually and as attorney in fact for Irene A. Lucas, to Elva G. Lucas; 858 Hill Road; $1.

Blythe Township — Mary Nazar to John Nazar, Patricia Hawk and Rosalyn Thorn; 179 Winfield Drive; $1.

Branch Township — The Gratz Bank to Celmer Group Inc.; 614 Pine Hill St.; $5,000.

Butler Township — Giorgio Michael Vetrano, executor of the Estate of Giorgio Vetrano, to Hector Trinidad and Juana Payano; 610 W. Washington St.; $101,000.

Deer Lake — First Citizens Community Bank to Faron A. and Dove Breiner and Justin J. and Kendall A. Koenig; 1567 Centre Turnpike; $55,000.

Frackville — Mark Andrewcavage and Diana M. Hummel-Andrewcavage to Mark Andrewcavage and Diana M. Hummel-Andrewcavage; 46 N. Nice St.; $1.

Girardville — James and Denise Marrone to James Marrone; 29-31-33-35-37-39 W. Main St. and 36 W. Preston Ave.; $1.

Middleport — Edward R. and Constance Bernetskie to Mahanoy Rentals LLC; property on Washington Street; $6,000.

Minersville — Devin Biagianti to Brandan Celmer; 613 N. Second St.; $15,000.

Orwigsburg — Margaret K. Guistwite to Jeromy E. and Kristi L. Guistwite; 930 E. Elizabeth Drive; $1.

Pottsville — Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to Jay L. Hinrichs; 909 W. Race St.; $13,400.

Lisa M. Kral to Lisa M. Kral and Erik R. Shuman; 1732A W. Norwegian St.; $1.

Stanley J. and Deborah A. Tyson to Stanley J. and Deborah A. Tyson; 813 Grant St.; $1.

Jay W. and Jo Ann Moyer to Cynthia J. McClelland; 201 N. George St.; $1.

Schuylkill Haven — Curtis R. and Joanne Guldin to Wendy L. Miller; 406 Hess St.; $1.

John E. Burns to Matthew Walters; 3 E. Main St.; $17,750.

Joseph C. Peters to DOC LLC; 20-22 W. Main St.; $50,000.

Tamaqua — Timothy D. Knorr to William G. Myers; 221 Pine St.; $1.

Tower City — PNC Bank NA to Curt and Gail Swoyer; 808 E. Grand Ave.; $28,000.

Tremont — Towncars.com Inc. to Vincent P. Darbenzio; 206 W. Laurel St.; $500.

Washington Township — Robert A. and Lori A. Donton to Lori A. Donton; 6 Red Maple Lane; $1.

West Brunswick Township — Ernst Partnership Ltd. to Keith A. Ernst; property on Route 61; $120,000.

West Mahanoy Township — Tax Claim Bureau of Schuylkill County to Dennis J. Puls; property at Willow and Green streets; $1,500.

Joan M. Yankiewicz to Shane Spotts; 338 S. Wylam St., Altamont; $58,000.

A new program offered at St. Joseph Center for Special Learning that helps students with developing their motor skills is one of only a few in the country.

The school at 2075 W. Norwegian St., Pottsville, began what is called “Conductive Education” in January. Developed in Hungary by Dr. Andras Peto in 1945, CE is a multi-disciplinary approach to education, training and development for individuals with motor challenges, according to the Conductive Education Center website.

The CE program at St. Joseph Center, which is a special education school for students ages 4 to 21 sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown, is taught by Livia Burgermeiszter, whose title is “conductor.” Burgermeiszter is a native of Hungary and trained in the four-year degree program at The Peto Institute in Budapest, Hungary. She came to the United States last year to conduct the program at St. Joseph Center.

On Friday, Burgermeiszter worked with teacher assistant Sierra Wilson and Deanna Bachman, who is a licensed practical nurse, as they used the CE methods with children Debianne Herring, Justin Bluge and Marcello Rivera. Since the children’s motor skills, abilities and capabilities are as individual as they are, the adults adapt their methods to each child.

“The degree program specializes in this education, and they also receive training in early childhood education and all the therapies to combine it into this program,” SJC Advancement Director Amanda Campbell said. “We started it here the second week in January.”

Burgermeiszter was working with Herring on Friday, sometimes working on the floor, and at other times on a wooden plinth, which is a table, seat or apparatus on which a patient lies or sits while doing remedial exercise or undergoing examination. The apparatus used in the CE program was purchased by the school.

“She (Burgermeiszter) is prompting her, encouraging her, directing her all at the same time,” Campbell said. “She is reteaching the connection between the brain and the limbs to start working together to achieve the desired action.”

Bachman helped Rivera with spreading white glue on construction paper, followed by sprinkling glitter on the page. Herring and Bluge also received help from Burgermeiszter and Wilson, respectively, in working with the glue and glitter.

Campbell said Herring’s parents, Leslie Herring and Gerry Schappell, had been taking her to the Conductive Education Center of Orlando, which provided a connection to SJC.

“Her family had searched out these programs hoping that it would benefit her,” Campbell said. “They had gone to different programs, summer camps, mini-sessions, trying to get her this therapy in the program, and seeing the successes even in the six-week mini-sessions in the summer, they really wanted to bring it home to the county. They were considering relocating to Florida, but, in speaking with us, Debianne became a student with us last year and we realized that CE would not only benefit Debianne, but so many of our students, as well as the local community. We will accept new students to be able to come and experience this program and receive all of this combined therapy at once with the ultimate goal of independence.”

Campbell added, “So, in working with Debianne’s family, they were key in connecting a lot of the dots in finding the proper conductor. Working with them, we made it happen.”

During a snack break for the children, Burgermeiszter said what is being done with the children carries through outside of the school.

“This is a multi-disciplinary plan and it goes through the whole day,” she said. “They can use the movements throughout the day whether in the school or at home. The program’s goal is not the same goal for each child. It’s individual. It’s not the same goal for Debianne or Justin or Marcello. We are trying to motivate them with each other. The group is very important in conductive education because the kids can see each other, motivate each other. We can play in a group.”

“To me, it’s fantastic. I love to see the steps that the children have made and the accomplishments they’ve done since the beginning of January is phenomenal,” Campbell said. “A huge benefit of conductive education as part of the school day is that the students get all of their therapy and education at school so they can go home and be kids, not go home to another therapy or another program outside of school. So when Debianne is done here, she has already received her education and her therapies, so she can go home and play with the dog or her brothers — do what regular kids do and not have to go to another occupational or speech therapist.”

Burgermeiszter learned about the opportunity in Schuylkill County to bring the CE program here through the institute’s Facebook page and a posting from Debianne’s mother.

“She kept telling me that I should try this school, and after I was speaking with Mr. (Principal Roobhenn) Smith, that how I came here,” Burgermeiszter said.

Smith said he became aware of the CE program after he came to SJC in 2015 and began to learn about it.

“Our philosophy here is that if we can do or provide something that is going to help assure any one of our individual students the opportunity to become more independent, we will look into any opportunity that will help and provide with respect to that,” Smith said. “With respect to conductive education, it was gathering a lot of information to make sure that if we were going to do something in terms of the program, we weren’t going to do it or have it just to say we have it or to do it. To implement a program of this nature, we had to make sure that we had the ability and the knowledge of the program so we could articulate it.”

Smith said knowing what a program says it will do is one thing, but the real proof is to see how it works and the effect it has on the children.

“Words on a piece of paper tell you something but to have the opportunity to see some of the students who participate in the program and see their faces and see the different improvements that they made, now that’s the story,” Smith said. “And then to be a part of that story is definitely an opportunity that we as a school and our mission with respect to what the Diocese of Allentown looks to do in terms being a part of the story of those individuals. We’re fortunate in the grand scheme of things that our students allow us into their world. They’re very intuitive and they know a lot more than what anyone gives them credit for. Like I said, we’re privileged to be allowed to be in their world for the time that we have with them. So to be able to provide something that is a benefit for them is just a godsend.”

Smith added that having someone like Burgermeiszter who was educated and trained for the program where it originated is a major find.

“So to be able to have someone who is directly linked with the institute that started the program is a rare find,” Smith said. “In terms of everything we have here, we want to make sure that the staff we surround our students with are the right fit. It’s a partnership and I look at it as a marriage. Our parents entrust us with their child, and most of our students don’t have the ability to tell their parents at the end of the day how their day was, but they can tell by their body language, their smile, their excitement, how their day was. That’s a gift and a blessing to us that parents have entrusted us to do what is right and the best interest of their child.”

Smith added, “The beauty of a program of this nature is that you can see the growth. You can watch how a student who might not have been able to stand but is now able to stand and has more control of their body because they’re going through this program continuously and daily. That’s one thing that makes it unique because it is not just one day a week, but it is five days a week. The nice thing is that because you’re doing it with other peers, it offers a socialization aspect to it as well, which is important to any child’s life.”

To learn more about Conductive Education at SJC, call the office at 570-622-4638 or email stjosephcenter@comcast.net.

James R. Ferrier

ORWIGSBURG — A Carbon County man is headed to Schuylkill County Court after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday on charges he burglarized a West Penn Township residence in August 2016.

Cole R. Kerschner, 26, of 565 Raymond St., Lehighton, faces charges of burglary, criminal mischief, criminal trespass and 15 counts each of theft and receiving stolen property, all of which Magisterial District Judge James R. Ferrier bound over for court.

After waiving his right to a hearing, Kerschner returned to prison, where he is being held in lieu of $10,000 percentage bail pending further court action.

West Penn Township police alleged Keschner broke into the residence at 1391 Penn Drive, Andreas, at 12:50 a.m. Aug. 28, 2016.

Once inside, Kerschner stole two loaded revolvers, a Ruger S/A .357 caliber and a H&R .32 caliber rimfire, along with a coin collection and jewelry, police said. He also left the house a mess, according to police.

“The area had been ransacked,” according to the Affidavit of Probable Cause. “Overturned boxes, open drawers and the like were plain to see.”

Other defendants whose cases Ferrier considered on Tuesday, the charges against each one and the judge’s dispositions of the matters included the following:

Samuel L. Frey, 36, of 79 Goose Pond Road, New Ringgold; possession of a controlled substance, possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and no rear lights; right to preliminary hearing waived, charges bound over for court.

Mallory E. Haldeman, 31, of 421 S. Wayne St., Orwigsburg; theft by deception; right to preliminary hearing waived, charge bound over for court.

Matthew S. Haydt, 29, of Kunkletown; four counts of theft by deception and one each of theft, receiving stolen property and access device fraud; right to preliminary hearing waived, charges bound over for court.

Christian G. Letcavage, 19, of 134 Lake Front Drive, Deer Lake; driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance, disregarding traffic lane, speeding and three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia; right to preliminary hearing waived, charges bound over for court.

Monique N. Thomas, 22, of 3806 Upper Road, Shamokin; receiving stolen property and retail theft; charges held for court after preliminary hearing that Thomas did not attend. Ferrier asked the court to issue a bench warrant for Thomas.

Heather L. Winslow, 34, of 193 Pioneer Road, Shenandoah; bad checks; right to preliminary hearing waived, charge bound over for court.

On Feb. 21, Daniel K. Goepfert, 20, of 36 Zehners Crossing Road, Tamaqua, waived his right to a preliminary hearing on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Ferrier bound over that charge for court.

Woman charged

with stealing cigars

ASHLAND — A borough woman was arrested by Ashland police after an incident about 8:30 a.m. Feb. 21 at Smokin Joe’s Tobacco Shop, 706 W. Centre St.

Police said Shelia Fishburn, 1134 Brock St., was charged with retail theft and criminal mischief and will now have to answer before Magisterial District Judge Christina E. Hale, Frackville.

Police said Fishburn entered the store and was seen by the clerk taking possession of a bag of grape flavor Criss Cross Cigars valued at $1.26.

The clerk, knowing that Fishburn received a certified letter telling her she was not allowed in the store, confronted the woman and told her she had to leave due to prior incidents.

The clerk reported that Fishburn started to become disruptive and then she said she was going to pay for the cigars and then leave, police said.

Police said the clerk then instructed Fishburn to pay for the items at the counter, leave the store and not return.

Fishburn continued to be disruptive and argumentative for a short time and then left the store without paying for the cigars, police said.

Juvenile cited

in Pottsville crash

A 16-year-old Pottsville girl was cited by Pottsville police as the result of a crash that was reported about 6:45 p.m. Friday in the 400 block of East Railroad Street.

Police said their investigation determined that the juvenile was driving west on East Railroad Street when she drifted to the right, went off of the road and hit two parked vehicles — a 2010 Cadillac DeVille and a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500.

The impact from the crash pushed the Dodge Ram into the rear of 292 Front St., causing minor damage to the side of the building, police said.

No injuries were reported and Patrolman Jonathan Randolph cited the teenager for not driving on roadways laned for traffic.

Charges pending

in 2-vehicle crash

Charges are pending by Pottsville police following a two-vehicle crash about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at Second Street and Laurel Boulevard.

Police said their preliminary investigation revealed that Martin Mohl, 46, of Pottsville, was driving a Chevrolet truck and stopped on North Second Street facing south at the intersection with Laurel Boulevard.

At the same time, police said, Melissa Powlick, 38, of Port Carbon, was driving a Honda Fit and stopped on Laurel Boulevard at the intersection facing west.

After being stopped, police said, both vehicles then collided in the intersection, with the Powlick vehicle sustaining moderate damage that required it to be towed from the scene.

Police said Powlick was taken to a local medical facility by ambulance for evaluation and treatment and Mohl found to be driving while his operating privileges were suspended or revoked.

Police said the appropriate charges will be filed at the conclusion of the continuing investigation.

Woman cited

in Pottsville crash

Pottsville Police investigated a crash that was reported about 2:50 p.m. in the area of the Coney Island Restaurant in the 2300 block of West Market Street.

Police said their investigation revealed that a 56-year-old Minersville woman was driving a Nissan Rogue east when she stopped for traffic and was struck from behind by a Chrysler 200 being driven by Shannon Mabry, 33, of Pottsville.

The Mabry vehicle was towed from the scene and police said that as a result of the crash, Patrolman Grant Yoder cited Mabry for following too closely.

Man free on bail

in domestic assault

A 30-year-old Pottsville man is free on bail after being arrested by Pottsville police after officers responded to a domestic incident about 9:20 a.m. Tuesday at 1119A W. Market St.

Police said at that address, a 34-year-old Pottsville woman reported being assaulted inside her home by her ex-boyfriend — Quame Caldwell — who fled the area on foot before officers arrived.

The woman was taken to a local medical facility by Schuylkill EMS for treatment and police said Caldwell was located and taken into custody within minutes.

As a result of the incident, police said, Cpl. Charles Webber charged Caldwell with domestic violence simple assault and harassment. He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley, Pottsville, and released on $10,000 unsecured bail.

Three driving under the influence incidents and an assault resulted in a Pottsville man being sentenced Wednesday in Schuylkill County Court to spend at least a year in state prison.

Jeffrey Rodgers, 46, must serve one to five years in a state correctional institution, Judge John E. Domalakes ordered. Domalakes also sentenced him to pay costs, $5,325 in fines, $500 to the Substance Abuse Education Fund, $50 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account and $1,560 restitution, and perform 60 hours community service.

Rodgers pleaded guilty to three separate charges of DUI, along with two counts of failure to obey traffic control devices and one each of terroristic threats, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and careless driving.

Prosecutors withdrew two counts each of operating vehicle without valid inspection and operating vehicle without required financial responsibility and one each of aggravated assault, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Pottsville police filed all four sets of charges against Rodgers, alleging he was DUI on Oct. 24, 2015, Nov. 12, 2015, and Nov. 25, 2015, and committed the assault on July 18, 2016. All four incidents occurred in the city, according to police.

Domalakes on Wednesday also accepted guilty pleas from, and, pursuant to agreements between prosecutors and defendants, imposed the indicated sentences on, these people:

Darlene M. Acor, 51, of Pottsville; disorderly conduct; $150 fine. Prosecutors withdrew charges of simple assault and harassment.

Michael J. Cronin, 49, of Montrose; retail theft; presentence investigation ordered, sentencing scheduled for 9:30 a.m. April 12. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of receiving stolen property.

Jason J. Eiler, 32, of Pottsville; driving under suspension, driving unregistered vehicle and operating vehicle without required financial responsibility; $300 fine. Prosecutors withdrew charges of altered or forged plates and operating vehicle without valid inspection.

Paul W. Ford, 35, of Tamaqua; no contest plea to corruption of minors; five years probation, $50 CJEA payment and no contact with the victim. Prosecutors withdrew two counts of indecent assault.

Angela L. Kohl, 28, of Girardville; delivery of a controlled substance; presentence investigation ordered, sentencing scheduled for 9:45 a.m. April 12. Prosecutors withdrew a second count of delivery of a controlled substance and two counts each of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and misbranding of a controlled substance.

Justin M. Koons, 27, of Pine Grove; defiant trespass; 12 months probation.

Corey M. McCabe, 42, of Center Valley; simple assault and possession of a controlled substance; three to 23 months in prison with immediate parole, $100 SAEF payment, $50 CJEA payment and $113 restitution to the state police crime laboratory in Bethlehem.

Michael J. McGuinness, 22, of Pottsville; possession of drug paraphernalia; 12 months probation and $100 SAEF payment.

Terry L. Mooney, 56, of Pottsville; DUI and disregarding traffic lane; 30 days in prison, 90 days house arrest with electronic monitoring, 30 days alcohol monitoring, seven months strict supervision, four years probation, $1,525 in fines, $100 SAEF payment, $50 bench warrant fee and 20 hours community service.

Tony Mundo, 46, of Tamaqua; no contest plea to two charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle; one to 23 months in prison and $$2,241.31 restitution, with sentence effective at 5:30 p.m. March 13. Prosecutors withdrew two charges of receiving stolen property.

George T. Rohrbach, 50, of Schuylkill Haven; retail theft; nine to 18 months in prison, $50 CJEA payment and submission of a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities.

Shawn D. Schlauch, 23, of Pine Grove; failure to verify address; 11 1/2 to 23 months in prison and $50 CJEA payment, with sentence effective at 9 a.m. March 19.

Timothy J. Stephens, 29, of Ashland; possession of drug paraphernalia; one to 12 months in prison and $100 SAEF payment.

Jacob A. Taschler, 40, of Palmerton; theft; two years probation, $50 CJEA payment and $554.28 restitution. Prosecutors withdrew charges of receiving stolen property and retail theft.

Douglas M. Whiteash, 28, of Schuylkill Haven; DUI, careless driving and violation of restrictions on alcoholic beverages; time served to two years in prison, $550 in fines, $100 SAEF payment and 30 hours community service. Prosecutors withdrew a charge of operating vehicle without valid inspection.

Rikki J. Williams, 21, of Pottsville; possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia; three to 12 months in prison, 12 months consecutive probation, $200 in SAEF payments, $100 in CJEA payments and $226 restitution to the state police crime laboratory in Bethlehem. Prosecutors withdrew a second count of possession of a controlled substance.

Dean J. Zelinsky, 51, of Ringtown; fleeing or eluding police, terroristic threats, DUI, failure to drive on roadways laned for traffic and harassment; presentence investigation ordered, sentencing scheduled for 10 a.m. April 12. Prosecutors withdrew charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, resisting arrest, failure to drive on the right side and careless driving.

All defendants who were sentenced must pay costs as a part of their sentences.