EMPORIUM (EC) — An Emporium man was sentenced for his involvement in four separate criminal cases on Tuesday in Cameron County Court.
Caleb Edward Smith, 25, of Emporium, was placed into the custody of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to undergo an evaluation to determine his eligibility to participate in the State Intermediate Punishment Program and related drug rehabilitation counseling.
Smith entered guilty pleas to a number of counts for incidents that occurred in March, July and October of last year in Emporium. Sentencing will not occur until after he has completed the evaluation, and if he is accepted into the State Intermediate Punishment Program, sentencing will likely be done via videoconference so as not to interfere with Smith’s rehabilitation.
In March of last year, Smith was charged with DUI controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, endangering the welfare of children and related counts after he hit a parked car while driving on Route 46 in Shippen Township. Two children, both under the age of five, were passengers in Smith’s vehicle but were unhurt in the accident.
On July 22, a search warrant was served at Smith’s West Sixth Street home in Emporium, and within was found two glass smoking devices, syringes, a small amount of marijuana and a small amount of white powder believed to be a controlled substance. Two children were living in the home. Smith was subsequently charged with possession of paraphernalia, possession of a small amount of marijuana for personal use and endangering the welfare of children.
On Oct. 21, Smith stole a Nintendo DS video gaming system, worth about $200, from the home of a man living on East Sixth Street in Emporium. The Nintendo was later sold at the DuBois Game Stop by an accomplice.
On Oct. 28, police filed an arrest warrant for Smith. When he was searched at the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department, he was discovered to be in possession of two syringes, and was charged with two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
“The offenses committed were as a result of the defendant’s use of controlled substances,” said President Judge Richard Masson, who presided over the hearing. “The court finds that his entrance into a drug treatment program would be appropriate.”
