WILKES-BARRE — A woman from Hazle Township pleaded guilty in Luzerne County Court to pistol-whipping a man and in an unrelated case of setting shrubs on fire adjacent to her residence.
Amy Lee Degenhart, 32, of North James Street, pled guilty to aggravated assault and firearms not to be carried without a license. Degenhart further pleaded guilty to criminal mischief related to the shrub fire.
Prosecutors withdrew charges of robbery, simple assault, tampering with evidence, reckless endangerment and illegal possession of a weapon related to the assault case, and a risking a catastrophe offense was withdrawn.
Judge Michael T. Vough accepted the plea agreements and sentenced Degenhart to nine-to-18 months at the county correctional facility followed by 18 months probation.
Hazleton City police charged Degenhart with pistol-whipping a man inside her vehicle and stealing marijuana from him on Nov. 28, 2024, according to court records.
Degenhart was charged by the Pennsylvania State Police at Hazleton for setting a row of shrubs on fire outside her residence on March 19, court records say.
Court records say flames from the fire reached 15 to 20 feet and extended into the street.