Pike County District Attorney Raymond J. Tonkin announced the following criminal sentences were issued by Pike County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Gregory Chelak:

Jeffrey W. Gay, 58, of Milford, PA, was sentenced to three months to six months in the Pike County Jail and a fine of $1,000 for the crime of Driving Under the Influence.  The state police responded to Water Forest Drive in Dingman Township on October 24, 2021, where public safety had Gay detained on a suspected DUI, after observing Gay drive erratically.  When contact was made with Gay, the trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage and observed Gay to have slurred speech and bloodshot eyes.  Field Sobriety Tests were conducted which showed impairment.  Gay admitted to drinking prior to driving but refused a breath test.

Melissa Sue Muller, 34, of Greentown, PA, was sentenced to 12 months of the Pike Care Program which will include 33 days of house arrest, a fine of $1,750 and a driver’s license suspension of 24 months for 2 counts of the charge of Driving Under the Influence.  The state police stopped Muller on June 16, 2021, for a headlight out and for driving erratically along SR 390 in Greene Township.  A strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was detected, and bloodshot glassy eyes were observed when contact was made with Muller.  An open case of alcoholic beverages was observed on the vehicle seat.  Field Sobriety Tests showed impairment and a breath test confirmed a blood alcohol content of .167%. The state police responded to Route 447 in Greene Township where Muller had crashed her vehicle into a tree.  Troopers detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage and observed her to have bloodshot eyes.  Muller admitted to drinking prior to driving.  Field Sobriety Tests were conducted, and a breath test confirmed a blood alcohol content of .146%.

Steven Carl Villalta, 29, of Albrightsville, PA, was sentenced to one year to seven years in a state correctional facility, fined $3,000 and had his driver’s license suspended for 18 months for the crimes of Driving Under the Influence and Resisting Arrest.  The state police responded to Owego Station Drive in Blooming Grove Township on June 16, 2021, where Villalta drove his vehicle in a residential yard and was unconscious in the vehicle.  When the state police got access to Villalta, an odor of an alcoholic beverage was detected, and he was observed to have bloodshot, glassy eyes and was unsteady on his feet.  Villalta refused a preliminary blood test.  Villalta was taken to the trooper barracks where he refused to get out of the vehicle and had to be physically removed from the trooper car.  Villalta refused to submit to a chemical breath test. 

Arthur Verbitsky, 35, of Brooklyn, NY, was sentenced to two years of probation and a fine of $5,000 for the crime of Criminal Attempt to Commit Possession with Intent to Manufacture or Deliver a Controlled or Counterfeit Substance. The state police intercepted a package containing ten pounds of Marihuana that Verbitsky received via the United States Postal Service on September 11, 2019, in Blooming Grove Township.

Christopher Ruiz, 35, of Westtown, NY, was sentenced to 10 days to six months in the Pike County Jail and fined $300.00 for the crime of Criminal Attempt to Commit Furnishing Drug-Free Urine.  Ruiz attempted to submit urine that was not his own for a drug test at the Pike County Probation Office on December 15, 2021.

Ashley Spangenberg, 33, of Port Jervis, NY, was sentenced to six months to 23 months in the Pike County Jail and fined $500 for the crime of Possession with Intent to Manufacture or Deliver a Controlled or Counterfeit Substance.  The state police observed Spangenberg fail to maintain her lane of travel along SR 2001 in Milford Township on November 6, 2020.  When speaking with Spangenberg, the trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage and observed an open container in her vehicle.  A consent to search her vehicle revealed Spangenberg in possession of Methamphetamine. 

Marcus Durell Matthews, 63, of Port Jervis, NY, was sentenced to three months to 12 months in the Pike County Jail, fined $500 and had his driver’s license suspended for 12 months for the crime of False Reports to Law Enforcement Authorities and the Summary Offence of Driving While Operating Privilege is Suspended or Revoked. Matthews falsely advised officers of the Eastern Pike Regional Police that his wife was the driver of the vehicle that struck and killed a pedestrian along Pennsylvania Avenue in Matamoras on August 30, 2019, when he was actually the driver.  Matthews was found to be driving on a suspended license. 

Terri L. Matthews, 59, of Port Jervis, NY, was sentenced to 12 months of probation and a fine of $300 for the crime of Unsworn Falsification to Authorities.  Matthews stated to officers of the Eastern Pike Regional Police that she was the driver of the vehicle that struck and killed a pedestrian along Pennsylvania Avenue in Matamoras on August 30, 2019, knowing that the actual driver of the vehicle was Marcus Matthews.

Alexander Joseph Wiesenberg, 26, of Bushkill, PA, was sentenced to 72 hours to six months in the Pike County Jail, fined $1,000 and had his driver’s license suspended for 12 months for the crime of Driving Under the Influence.  The state police were dispatched to SR 402 in Porter Township where Wiesenberg’s vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree on July 30, 2020.  In speaking with Wiesenberg, the trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage and observed Wiesenberg to have bloodshot eyes.  Wiesenberg admitted to drinking prior to driving.  Due to sustained injuries, Field Sobriety Tests were not conducted.  A blood test confirmed a blood alcohol content of .254%.

Robert Charles Hind, 62, of Bushkill, PA, was sentenced to 72 hours to six months in the Pike County Jail, a fine of $1,000 and a driver’s license suspension for 12 months for the crime of Driving Under the Influence.  The state police were dispatched to Decker Road in Lehman Township on October 7, 2020, where Hind hit a utility pole with his vehicle and then traveled down an embankment.  When speaking with Hind, the trooper detected the smell of an alcoholic beverage.  Hind admitted to drinking prior to driving.  A breath test confirmed a blood alcohol content of .171%.

Anthony J. Damico, 40, of Long Pond, PA, was sentenced to 18 months to six years in a state correctional facility and a fine of $6,500 for the crimes of Delivery of a Controlled or Counterfeit Substance and Involuntary Manslaughter.  Damico provided an individual with Methadone at the individual’s residence in Greene Township on February 12, 2017, which resulted in the death of the individual.

Christopher Aaron Kuchuk, 27, of Matamoras, PA, was sentenced to five years of the Pike Care Program which will include 90 days of house arrest, a fine of $1,547 and a driver’s license suspension of 18 months for the crime of Driving Under the Influence of a Controlled or Counterfeit Substance and the Summary Offense of Maximum Speed Limits.  The state police observed Kuchuk speeding along SR 2001 in Dingman Township on October 20, 2020.  A license check revealed Kuchuk was driving on a suspended license and had an outstanding warrant.  Kuchuk was observed to have dilated pupils and bloodshot eyes.  Field Sobriety Tests showed impairment and a blood test confirmed the presence of a Schedule I controlled substance in his blood.

Shane Michael Knecht, 30, of Lake Ariel, PA, was sentenced to 24 months to 60 months in a state correctional facility, a fine of $1,000 and a driver’s license suspension of 12 months for the crimes of Fleeing/Attempting to Elude a Police Officer and Flight to Avoid Apprehension, Trial, Punishment.  The state police attempted to pull over Knecht on November 25, 2021, for no inspection sticker.  Knecht failed to stop and traveled at a high rate of speed, ignoring traffic devices along the roads of Greene Township until finally veering off the road and disabling his vehicle on several large rocks near Beaver Dam Road.

Susan J. Beam, 43, of Wallkill, NY, was sentenced to 11 months to 23 months in the Pike County Jail and fined $1,000 for the crime o Criminal Conspiracy to Commit Possession with Intent to Manufacture or Deliver a Controlled or Counterfeit Substance.  Beam and her co-conspirator engaged in the conduct of the sale of Heroin from a hotel room in Westfall Township on June 24, 2020, following a search warrant served on Beam by the Pennsylvania State Police and members of the Pike County District Attorney Investigation Division.