Preliminary hearings held this month in the Tamaqua court of District Judge Steven Bayer included a case involving two defendants accused in a retail theft incident at the Hometown Commons Wal-Mart.

Samuel O. Koch, 54, of 220 High St., and Judith A. Allen, 57, of 118 Railroad St., both of Tamaqua, were each charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and conspiracy to commit theft following the Aug. 31 incident.The charges were filed by Rush Township Sgt. Duane Frederick. All of Allen's charges were held over for trial in Schuylkill County court, while the theft and receiving stolen property charges were dismissed against Koch.Koch was released on $10,000 unsecured bail.Meanwhile, Allen had a second preliminary hearing, this time on charges stemming from an Aug. 29 incident in Hometown. Sgt. Frederick was the arresting officer.Jeremy Behler, 19, of 16 S. 16th St., Jim Thorpe, waived the charges filed against him and will now face trial in the county court.Behler was charged with one count of fraudulently using an altered/forged/ counterfeit registration and five counts of improper use of a child restraint system. The charges were filed by Rush Township Patrolman Corey Herring following a Sept. 14, 2013 incident.Behler was released on his own recognizance.Heather Breeland, 28, of Mount Carmel, waived a hearing on charges filed by McAdoo Patrolman Steven Homanko following an Oct. 12, 2013 incident. The charges include driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol (first offense), DUI of a controlled substance (Metabolite), driving an unregistered vehicle, driving without headlights, driving under the combined influence of drugs and alcohol, and failure to obey restrictions on alcoholic beverages.She was released on her own recognizance.Amanda Lee Manning, 23, of Hazleton, will face trial in county court after waiving a preliminary hearing on charges of retail theft and receiving stolen property. The charges were filed by Rush Township Patrolman Robert Bechtel following a Nov. 8, 2013 incident.She was released on her own recognizance.Robert Anthony Fish, 47, of 317 E. Blaine St., McAdoo, was charged with DUI of alcohol (first offense), depositing waste on a highway, failure to make a proper turn, and disregard of a traffic lane. He was charged by Rush Township Patrolman Bradley Hess following a Sept. 12, 2013 incident.He was released on his own recognizance.David James Weaver, 55, of 115 Sixth St., Coaldale, waived charges of aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, simple assault, and harassment to court. The charges were filed by Coaldale Patrolman Andrew Letcavage following a Nov. 4, 2013 incident.Weaver remained lodged in the county prison in lieu of $10,000 bail.Laura L. Dulina, 58, of 913 Hudson Drive, Weatherly, faces court trial on charges of DUI of alcohol (first offense), driving without a license, and driving too slow for conditions. She was charged by McAdoo Patrolman Anthony DiVirgilio following a Sept. 26 incident.She was released on her own recognizance.