Defendants who recently elected to waive their right to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Stephen Bayer of Tamaqua included a Hazleton man accused of abandoning a male pit bull in McAdoo.

Navib Antonio Arias, 23, of 166 S. Laurel St., was charged by patrolman Jeffrey Tanner with five counts of cruelty to animals, failure to have his dog licensed, abandoning a dog and failure to get his dog a rabies shot.The pit bull was found tied to a street pole in freezing temperatures, where he had been left for about an hour, according to Tanner. Once rescued, it was discovered the dog had a treatable skin condition, was underweight and had three BBs lodged under his skin. He now has a new, permanent home.Arias was released on $10,000 unsecured bail.Ralph Michael Luchetta, 27, of 109 N. Kennedy Drive, McAdoo, waived a hearing on charges of aggravated assault, three counts of simple assault, reckless endangerment, and harassment following a Feb. 1 incident. The charges were filed by McAdoo patrolman Steven Homanko.Luchetta remains in the Schuylkill County Prison in Pottsville in lieu of $100,000 bail.Randy Carl Brown, 41, of 134 1/2 Spruce St., Tamaqua, waived a hearing on charges stemming from a domestic incident in Tamaqua on March 4. Patrolman Karl Harig charged Brown with four counts of simple assault, criminal mischief and two counts of making terroristic threats.Brown was released after posting 10 percent of the imposed $30,000 bail.David J. Halaburda, 19, of 11 Hotel Lane, Barnesville, waived a hearing on charges of burglary and criminal trespass, filed by Rush Township patrolman Adam Sinton. The charges stem from a Feb. 28 incident.Halaburda was released on $30,000 unsecured bail after a bail reduction hearing.Annette Larue Broadt, 57, of 30 N. Nescopec St., Tamaqua, waived a hearing on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and disregarding the traffic lane. The charges were filed by Coaldale patrolman Joseph Krebs following a Feb. 8 incident.Broadt was released on her own recognizance.John James Maloney Jr., 39, of 240 Bear Creek Blvd., Plains, Luzerne County, was charged with DUI of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and operating a motor vehicle without a valid inspection sticker following a Nov. 29, 2013, incident in McAdoo. The charges were filed by Patrolman William Curilla.Maloney was released on his own recognizance.Joseph Moyer, 30, of 1 Broad St., Beaver Meadows, waived a hearing on charges of retail theft and receiving stolen property stemming from a March 11 incident. The charges were filed by Rush Township Patrolman Sinton.Moyer was released on his own recognizance.Gemile B. Mehmeti, 26, of 645 E. Patterson St., Lansford, waived charges of providing false identification to law enforcement, driving with a suspended license, and driving without headlights. The charges were filed by Rush Township Patrolman Sinton following a Feb. 14 incident.Mehmeti was released on his own recognizance.John James Benitez, 22, of 70 S. Kennedy Drive, McAdoo, was charged with fraud by way of altering/ forging/counterfeiting a car title/registration/insurance, fraudulent use/ removal of a license plate, allowing the illegal use of a license pate and driving an unregistered van. The charges stem from a March 10 incident and were filed by McAdoo patrolman Shawn Nunemacher.Benitez was released on his own recognizance.Jessica Marie Geist, 22, of 1185 Gravel Pike, Hereford, Berks County, faces charges of making a false report, operating a vehicle without insurance, driving an unregistered vehicle, operating a vehicle without valid inspection and providing identification to law enforcement. The charges were filed by McAdoo patrolman Tanner following a March 11 incident.Geist was released on her own recognizance.