A Lansford man remains in the Schuylkill County Prison following his arraignment on sexual assault charges.

Brad Michael Stevens, 24, of 342 W. Snyder Ave., Lansford, waived his right to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Steven Bayer, Tamaqua, this past Tuesday. He was charged with statutory sexual assault on a person 8 to 11 years old, as well as corruption of minors, stemming from a June 26, 2013 incident. Both charges are felonies and were filed by Pennsylvania State Police from the Frackville Barracks.Stevens remains in prison in lieu of $1,000 bail. Bail was originally set at $25,000 but was reduced on Jan. 6.A number of other cases were scheduled to be heard in Judge Bayer's court, including two in which the defendants failed to appear.Jeremy Earl Plasko, 36, of 409 W. Broad St., Tamaqua, had charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and retail theft held over for court despite his non-appearance in court. The charges were filed by Tamaqua Patrolman Matthew Houser following a July 29, 2013 incident.A warrant will be issued for his arrest.Gregory Brian Ristilla, 37, of 120 Patterson St., Tamaqua, was the other defendant who failed to appear. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, being involved in an accident involving damage to an attended vehicle/property, careless driving and failure to use a proper child restraint system. The charges were filed by Rush Township Patrolman Carl Bachart following an Oct. 19, 2013 incident.A warrant will be issued for his arrest.Patricia Merola, 26, of 621 Pardeesville Road, was held for court trial on charges of conspiracy to manufacture/deliver/possession a controlled substance with intent to deliver, manufacture/deliver/possession a controlled substance with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance. Two counts of engendering the welfare of children were dismissed. The charges stem from a Sept. 4 incident and were filed by Tamaqua Chief of Police Richard Weaver.Bail was set at $25,000 unsecured.Thomas John Karpovich, 61, of 133 Roosevelt Drive, Morea, waived a hearing on charges filed by Rush Township Patrolman Adam Sinton. The charges were filed following a Sept. 14, 2013 incident and include driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to keep right and careless driving.He was released on his own recognizance.Dennis Basuljevic, 25, of 3 Coventry Road., Drums, was charged with driving under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with evidence. He waived his hearing on the charges, which were filed by McAdoo Patrolman William Curilla following a Dec. 1, 2013 incident.He was released on his own recognizance.Alexandre Vasquez, 26, of 20 Fourth St., Kelayres, waived his hearing on charges filed by Tamaqua Patrolman Richard Bekesy following a July 23, 2013 incident. The charges include possession of a controlled substance, sale of a controlled substance, driving with a suspended/revoked license and speeding.He was released on his own recognizance.Leah Marie Rehal, 21, of 134 Samuels Ave., Hazleton, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and careless driving. The possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance charges were withdrawn by Rush Township Patrolman William Curilla. The charges stem from a Sept. 20 incident.She was released on her own recognizance.Joseph McGinley, 40, of 6 Walnut St., Middleport, waived a hearing on charges of fraudulenty altering/counterfeiting a registration, driving under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, driving without a license, improper display of a plate/card, driving an unregistered vehicle and driving under the influence of metabolite. The charges were filed by Rush Township Patrolman Sinton.He was released on his own recognizance.