Preliminary hearings for several theft and assault cases were scheduled at the beginning of this month in the court of District Judge Stephen Bayer in Tamaqua.

Christopher James Sanders, 25, of 5 S. Kennedy Drive, McAdoo, chose to have the judge hear his case, but had a felony charge of retail theft bound over for court trial. The charges were filed by state trooper Brian Walters after a May 26 incident in Kline Township.Sanders was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.Laura Nicole Beil, 23, of 324 Ridge Terrace, Coaldale, waived a hearing on charges of receiving stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia. A charge of theft by unlawful taking was withdrawn by the arresting officer, Tamaqua patrolman Matthew Houser. The charges stem from a Feb. 24 incident.She was released on her own recognizance.Autum Jackie Williams, 24, of Mahanoy City waived a hearing on charges from a March 19 shoplifting incident. She was charged with retail theft and receiving stolen property by Rush Township patrolman Alexander Kosatschkow.Williams was released on her own recognizance.Daryl Jones, 42, of 109 W. High St., Coaldale, waived a hearing on charges filed by Tamaqua patrolman Christopher Cruz following an April 5 incident. Jones was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.He was released on his own recognizance.Matthew Alan Topping, 22, of Doylestown, waived a hearing on charges of driving under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. A charge of possession was withdrawn by arresting officer Rush Township patrolman Bradley Hess. The charges were filed after an April 19 incident.He was released on his own recognizance.Thomas Salvatore Ruzzano, 45, of 231 N. Pine St., Tamaqua, also waived his preliminary hearing. He was charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault, reckless endangerment and harassment. The charges were filed by Tamaqua patrolman Michael Hobbs after a May 31 incident.Bail was originally set at $25,000 straight cash, but later modified to $5,000 percentage.Michael A. Strohl, 30, with no address on record, had a charge of disorderly conduct reduced to a nontraffic citation, while a charge of simple assault was withdrawn by the arresting officer, Tamaqua patrolman Brigdon Odhner. The charges were filed following a June 6 incident.Eric H. McAdams, 45, of 182 Muir Ave., Hazleton, had charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and disorderly conduct dismissed. The charges were filed by McAdoo patrolman Anthony Divirgilio following a March 19 incident.