A Nesquehoning man who came drunk to Carbon County Court on Monday to be sentenced in a drunken driving case will likely spend more time in jail. Joshua J. Beury, 25, of 342 W. Railroad St., on Tuesday got the same sentence from county President Judge Roger N. Nanovic that he got Monday before court officials determined he was inebriated: 30 days to six months in county prison. But this time, Nanovic added the condition that Beury must petition the court before being released. Normally, a person sentenced to 90 days or less in Carbon County is automatically released after the minimum term if they have no misconducts in prison.But county Chief Adult Probation Officer Ronald Kokinda said most people who have to petition the court for their release end up serving more than the minimum term. After Beury was sentenced Monday, court personnel leading him back to prison said he smelled of alcohol. They administered a breath test, which showed he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.20 percent — more than the 0.17 percent when he was charged with drunken driving and more than twice the 0.08 percent at which state law considers a person too drunk to drive.
After court personnel told Nanovic of the test, the judge vacated the 30-day sentence he had given Beury for his second DUI offense and jailed him for contempt of court. Beury was brought back to court Tuesday. Beury insisted he only had two beers the night before the sentence, but Nanovic told him it's not possible to get a blood alcohol content of 0.20 percent from that amount.