Dispositions in Pike County Court

Pike County District Attorney Raymond J. Tonkin announced the following criminal sentences were issued by Pike County Court of Common Pleas Judge Gregory Chelak:
March 29Dennis J. Kimble, 44, of Newfoundland, N.J., was sentenced to 113 days to 18 months in the Pike County Jail and fined $500 for the crime of Possessing an Instrument of Crime. While staying at an individual’s home in Dingman Township between Dec. 1, 2016, and April 31, 2017, Kimble took a firearm belonging to the individual, without the individual’s consent. The firearm was found in Kimble’s possession in New Jersey.
Timothy Leone Culver, 31, of Dingmans Ferry, Pa., was sentenced to 18 months to 5 years in a state correctional facility, fined $3,000, and had his driver’s license suspended for 12 months for the crimes of Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police Officers and Terroristic Threats. The state police were dispatched to Culver’s residence in Delaware Township on July 21, 2017, when Culver, while holding a weapon, threatened to harm several individuals if they stepped onto his property. On Oct. 14, 2017, the state police observed Culver traveling along SR 739 in Blooming Grove Township with a license plate not registered to his vehicle. The the state police attempted to pull over Culver, who sped off at a high rate of speed and struck a concrete barrier and then a guiderail before coming to rest. Culver then proceeded to flee on foot and was apprehended by troopers through the use of a taser.
Barry Shorten, 59, of Jefferson Township, Pa., was sentenced to 6 months of the Intermediate Punishment (IP) Program, which will include 10 days in the Pike County Jail, 60 days of house arrest, a fine of $750, and a driver’s license suspension of 12 months for the crime of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. Shorten was stopped by the state police on Aug. 2, 2017, for speeding along I-84 in Greene Township. The trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage when speaking with Shorten and observed Shorten to be unsteady on his feet. A blood-alcohol test revealed a blood-alcohol content of .130 percent.
Brandon M. Marks, 24, of Milford, Pa., was sentenced to 3 months to 12 months in the Pike County Jail and fined $300 0 for the crime of Receiving Stolen Property. Marks sold a cell phone to an individual on Oct. 17, 2017, knowing it had been stolen from a residence in Milford Township on Oct. 10, 2017.
George Philip Catsicas, 48, of Dingmans Ferry, Pa., was sentenced to 2 months to 23.5 months in the Pike County Jail and fined $450 for the crimes of Disorderly Conduct and Harassment. Catsicas communicated to employees at a business in Milford Township in a lewd and lascivious manner on June 26, 2017, July 18, 2017, and Aug. 2, 2017. On Nov. 8, 2017, Catsicas behaved in a tumultuous and threatening manner at a business in Milford Township, a post office in Delaware Township, and towards some construction works at a site in Dingmans Ferry.
Bryan Christopher Becker, 23, of Tafton, Pa., was sentenced to 5 years of the Intermediate Punishment (IP) Program, which will include 90 days of house arrest, a $1,500 fine, and suspension of his driver’s license for 18 months for the crime of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. Becker was stopped by the state police on Sept. 3, 2017, while traveling along Gumbletown Road in Blooming Grove Township for failing to dim his head lights and window tint. Upon speaking with Becker, the trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage and observed his eyes to be watery and bloodshot and his speech slurred. Becker admitted to drinking prior to driving. Field Sobriety Tests showed impairment and a breath test confirmed a blood-alcohol content of 0.181 percent.
Daniel Conklin, 51, of White Mills, Pa., was sentenced to 180 days to 6 months in the Pike County Jail, fined $1,300, and will have his driver’s license suspended for a duration to be determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) for the crimes of Driving Under the Influence and Driving While Operating Privileges are Suspended. The state police pulled over Conklin on Feb. 8, 2017, for weaving across his lane of travel along SR 6 in Shohola. Upon making contact with Conklin, the trooper detected the smell of marijuana and an alcoholic beverage emanating from Conklin’s person. Conklin admitted to consuming alcohol and Marijuana prior to driving. Field Sobriety Tests could not be conducted due to Conklin’s intoxication. Conklin refused to perform a breath test. It was discovered Conklin was also driving on a suspended license as a result of a prior DUI conviction.
Scott a Walker, 32, of Dingmans Ferry, Pa., was sentenced to 42 months to 102 months in a state correctional facility, fined $1,500, and had his driver’s license suspended for 24 months for the crimes of Accident Resulting in Death or Injury, 2 counts of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, and Criminal Use of a Communication Facility. The Eastern Pike Regional Police were dispatched to Pennsylvania Avenue in Matamoras Borough on June 18, 2016, where Walker’s vehicle hit the curb, a tree, and then another vehicle, injuring its occupant, and then Walker fled the scene on foot. On Aug. 11, 2016, and Aug. 29, 2016, Walker sold heroin to an undercover informant through the use of a cell phone in Westfall Township and Dingman Township.
Ezequiel Martinez, 66, of Milford, Pa., was sentenced to 6 months of probation and fined $300 for the crime of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. The state police stopped Martinez on March 18, 2017, while traveling along SR 402 in Blooming Grove Township. In speaking with Martinez, the trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage. Field Sobriety Tests showed impairment and a breath test confirmed a blood-alcohol content of 0.09 percent.
Jennifer Allan Passos, 49, of Hopatcong, N.J., was sentenced to 10 days to 6 months in the Pike County Jail and fined $500 for the crime of Driving Under the Influence. The state police were dispatched to Village Drive West in Dingman Township on Aug. 25, 2017, where Passos had driven her vehicle into a ditch. In making contact with Passos, the trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage and observed her eyes to be red, glossy, and bloodshot. Passos admitted to drinking wine and consuming prescription medication prior to driving. A Field Sobriety Test showed impairment. Passos refused to submit to a blood test.
Christopher Delacruz, 30, of Port Jervis, N.Y., was sentenced to 15 months to 4 years in a state correctional facility, fined $700, and had his driver’s license suspended for 6 months for the crimes of False Identification to Law Enforcement and Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver a Controlled or Counterfeit Substance. During a traffic stop in Milford Borough on July 12, 2017, Delacruz, who was a passenger in the vehicle, provided a false name and date of birth to the Milford Officer in order to avoid being arrested on an outstanding warrant. On July 12, 2017, a search warrant was conducted on a hotel room in Dingman Township where Delacruz had been residing where he was found in possession of multiple bricks of heroin.
Maria Cruz, 28, of Rockaway Beach, N.Y., was fined $300 for the crime of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The state police pulled Cruz over on April 9, 2015, for traveling below the posted speed in the left lane of I-84 in Blooming Grove Township. In speaking with Cruz, the trooper detected the smell of Marijuana. A consent to search the vehicle revealed a baggie used for the storage of marijuana.
Wayne Albert Dippel, 66, of Archbald, Pa., was sentenced to 6 months of probation and fined $700 for the crime of Unlawful Killing or Taking of Big Game. Dippel killed or attempted to kill a bear along Pleasant Mount Drive in Blooming Grove Township on Nov. 25, 2016, during closed season.
Christopher Karangis (sentenced March 22, 2018), 47, of Milford, Pa., was sentenced to 4 months to 12 months in the Pike County Jail and fined $800 for the crimes of Terroristic Threats and Resisting Arrest. Eastern Pike Regional Police responded to a residence in Westfall Township on July 24, 2017, where Karangis was reportedly drunk and out of control. Karangis was in violation of his probation and had barricaded himself in the residence refusing to come out, and threatened any officer that came into the house. Substantial force was needed to overcome Karangis who refused verbal commands of the officers.
April 5Anthony Abreu, 30, of Milford, Pa., was sentenced to 5 years of the Pike Care Program which will include 90 days of house arrest, a fine of $1,500, and a driver’s license suspension of 18 months for the crime of Driving Under the Influence. Eastern Pike Regional Police pulled over Abreu along Route 6 and 209 in Westfall Township on June 2, 2016, for speeding and driving erratically. In making contact with Abreu, the officer detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage and observed him to have bloodshot, glassy eyes. Field Sobriety Tests were conducted and a blood test confirmed a blood-alcohol content of 0.171 percent.
Stephen F. Delucca, 51, of East Stroudsburg, Pa., was sentenced to 4 months to 12 months in the Pike County Jail and fined $500 for the crime of Retail Theft. Delucca took a total of $486.56 in merchandise from a retail store in Westfall Township on Dec. 28, 2016, without paying for it.
Drequan Jamar Garner, 19, of East Stroudsburg, Pa., was sentenced to 12 months to 36 months in a state correctional facility and fined $900 for 3 counts of the crime of Burglary. Garner broke into a residence in Lehman Township and took items between April 10, 2016, and May 10, 2016. Garner broke into a home in Lehman Township on April 26, 2016, and took items. On May 26, 2016, Garner broke into a residence in Lehman Township and took items.
Lynda Nicole Nichols, 21, of Newfoundland, Pa., was sentenced to 11 months to 23 months in the Pike County Jail, followed by 4 years of probation, a fine of $1,400, and a driver’s license suspension of 12 months for 2 counts of the crime of Delivery of a Controlled or Counterfeit Substance and Criminal Use of a Communication Facility. Nichols facilitated the use of a cell phone to sell heroin to a confidential informant between April 12, 2017, and April 21, 2017, in Palmyra and Greene Townships.
Gregory A. Talmadge, 28, of Port Jervis, N.Y., was sentenced to 11.5 months to 23 months in the Pike County Jail and fined $900 for the crime of Theft. Talmadge took an X-Box valued in excess of $300 from an individual’s camper in Westfall Township on June 3, 2017, without the owner’s permission.
Dylan James Kratzert, 25, of Newburgh, N.Y., was sentenced to 15 months to 30 months in a state correctional facility and fined $1,000 for the crime of Aggravated Assault. Kratzert stabbed an individual with a folding knife in the arm, shoulder and leg on Nov. 28, 2017, at a residence in Matamoras.
John R. Herdman, 61, of Dingmans Ferry, Pa., was sentenced to 11 months to 23 months in the Pike County Jail and fined $500 for the crime of Criminal Trespass. On Oct. 6, 2017, the state police responded to a residence in Delaware Township where Herdman had removed part of a rear door gaining access to the home, without the owner’s permission, and was found lying on the owner’s bed when the trooper arrived.
Connor Robert Merlino-Barton, 19, of Laceyville, Pa., was sentenced to 48 hours to 6 months in the Pike County Jail, followed by 6 months of probation, fined $700, and had his driver’s license suspended for 12 months for the crimes of Driving Under the Influence and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The state police responded to Gumbletown Road in Palmyra Township on June 11, 2017, where Merlino-Barton was unconscious in the driver’s seat parked in the middle of Gumbletown Road, with the vehicle running. The trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage when speaking with Merlino-Barton. A breath test confirmed a blood-alcohol content of 0.114 percent. Merlino-Barton was also found in possession of a baggie used for the storage of marijuana.
Jason Shane Wallace, 30, presently housed in the Pike County Correctional Facility, was sentenced to 6 months of probation and fined $300 for the crime of Furnishing Drug-Free Urine. During a drug screening test conducted by a probation officer at the Pike County Probation Office in Milford, Wallace attempted to provide urine that was not his own.
Brian P. Anderson, 28, of Milford, Pa., was sentenced to 48 hours to 6 months in the Pike County Jail, followed by 2 years of probation, a $1,000 fine, and a driver’s suspension for 12 months for the crimes of Driving Under the Influence and Prohibited Offensive Weapon. The state police were dispatched on April 1, 2017, to Iroquois Trail in Dingman Township where Anderson had driven his vehicle off the road and into a ditch. In making contact with Anderson, the trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage and observed Anderson to have slurred speech and glossy, bloodshot eyes. Field Sobriety Tests showed impairment and a breath test confirmed a blood-alcohol content of 0.154 percent. Anderson was also found in possession of brass knuckles.
April 12
Robert Thomas Dowling, 29, of Scranton, Pa., was sentenced to the Pike County Intermediate Punishment (IP) Program, which will include 48 hours to 6 months in the Pike County Jail, followed by 60 days of house arrest, a fine of $850, and a driver’s license suspension of 12 months for the crime of Driving Under the Influence. The state police were dispatched to Milford Road in Lehman Township on Aug. 24, 2017, and found Dowling sitting in the driver’s seat of a disabled vehicle. In speaking with Dowling, the trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage and observed Dowling’s eyes to be bloodshot. Dowling admitted to drinking prior to driving. A Field Sobriety test showed impairment and a breath test confirmed a blood-alcohol content of 0.153 percent.
Daniel F. O’Keefe, 20, of Monroe, N.Y., was sentenced to 14 months to 36 months in a state correctional facility to run concurrent to his New York sentence, and fined $500 for the crime of Receiving Stolen Property. O’Keefe took a truck valued in excess of $2,000 from a business in Port Jervis on April 25, 2017 and drove the truck to Matamoras, abandoning it at a business parking lot when he encountered police activity.
Connor David Burkhardt, 22, of Dingmans Ferry, Pa., was sentenced to one year of probation to run consecutive to his current sentence, fined $300, and had his driver’s license suspended for 6 months for the crime of Possession of a Controlled Substance. The state police responded to a residence in Delaware Township on May 7, 2017, for a report of a suspicious person where Burkhardt was found in possession of heroin.
Joseph Louis Stellato-Riley, 24, of Dingmans Ferry, Pa., was sentenced to 6 months to 12 months in the Pike County Jail, fined $300, and had his driver’s license suspended for 12 months for the crime of Possession of a Controlled Substance. On Aug. 7, 2017, the state parole conducted a home visit on Stellato-Riley at his residence in Delaware Township and found him in possession of heroin.
Hilary Ann Messina, 59, of Dingmans Ferry, Pa., was sentenced to 72 hours to 6 months in the Pike County Jail, fined $1,000, and had her driver’s license suspended for 12 months for the crime of Driving Under the Influence. The state police were dispatched to a parking lot in Delaware Township, where Messina hit a parked car with her vehicle. In making contact with Messina, the trooper was required to assist Messina out of her vehicle. Messina was observed having difficulty standing and admitted to the trooper that she had been drinking prior to driving. A Field Sobriety Test showed impairment and a breath test confirmed a blood-alcohol content of 0.260 percent.
Brian K. Fitzgerald, 50, of Montague, N.J., was sentenced to 12 months of probation, fined $1,000, and had his driver’s license suspended for 12 months for the crime of Accident Resulting in Death or Injury. Fitzgerald ran a stop sign at an intersection in Milford Borough on March 16, 2017, and struck a vehicle, injuring its occupant, and then fled the scene.
Erik D. Walter, 28, of Milford, Pa., was sentenced to 6 months of probation and fined $300 for the crime of Driving Under the Influence. The state police were dispatched on Feb. 10, 2017, to a one-vehicle crash on Log Tavern Road, where Walter had driven into a tree and was injured. In speaking with Walter, the trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage and observed his speech to be slurred and his pupils dilated. A blood test confirmed a blood-alcohol content of 0.092 percent.
Bryan A. Laskey, 26, of Greentown, Pa., was sentenced to 24 months of probation and fined $800 for the crimes of Terroristic Threats and Institutional Vandalism. The state police were dispatched to a residence in Greene Township on Aug. 26, 2017, for a domestic dispute during which Laskey threatened to hurt three individuals. While in state police custody, Laskey urinated in the holding cell.
Kelley Marie Hernandez, 46, of Milford, Pa., was sentenced to 6 months of the Pike Care Intermediate Punishment (IP) Program, which will include 30 days of house arrest, a fine of $750, and a driver’s license suspension of 12 months for the crime of Driving Under the Influence. The state police were dispatched to a one-vehicle crash on Oct. 12, 2017, where Hernandez’ vehicle left Log Tavern Road in Dingman Township and hit a tree. In making contact with Hernandez, the trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage and observed her eyes to be bloodshot and glassy. Field Sobriety Tests showed impairment and a breath test confirmed a blood-alcohol content of 0.151 percent.
Derrick Jarrett Schultz, 38, of Patchogue, N.Y., was sentenced to 6 months of probation, fined $300, and had his driver’s license suspended for 6 months for the crime of Possession of a Controlled Substance. The state police were dispatched to a residence in Dingman Township on Sept. 3, 2016, where Schultz was found in possession of cocaine.
Gregory Michael Cooper, 42, of Bushkill, Pa., was sentenced to 11 months to 23 months in the Pike County Jail, followed by 6 months of probation, fined $500, and had his driver’s license suspended for 12 months for the crimes of Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The state police responded to a residence in Lehman Township on Dec. 14, 2016, for a 911 hang up. Upon arrival at the residence, they could smell marijuana. When questioned about the odor, Cooper provided the trooper with a bag of marijuana. A further investigation revealed a large amount of marijuana and various items of drug paraphernalia.