Former Shenandoah Borough Police Chief Neil Reese, 61, was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in district court last week on drug-related charges, but elected to waive that hearing to the county court level.

Reese was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia after a Dec. 12, 2014, incident at his Shenandoah home.The retired chief's mother, Mary Reese, called 911 after finding her son unresponsive at 12:40 a.m. Shenandoah Police were dispatched, along with EMS.Officers arrived first and found Reese slumped forward in a recliner. There was a faint pulse, but Reese's pupils were constricted and didn't respond to light.Patrolman Davis Stamets and Capt. Michael O'Neill administered first aid while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, including holding up Reese's head in order to un-obstruct his airway.Once EMS arrived, the officers then turned their attention to looking for any possible medication being taken by Reese in case of an accidental overdose.Mary Reese directed them to her son's second-floor bedroom, where they discovered two boxes of medication and weekly pill organizers on a nightstand.They also found four yellow glassine baggies of suspected heroin, a white straw containing a large amount of residue and an empty soda can containing a number of empty glassine bags.Stamets alerted the ambulance personnel, who then successfully administered the drug Narcan to Reese.The contents of the baggies later tested positive for heroin, leading to charges being filed on Dec. 30.He remains free on his own recognizance and is being represented by Attorney James Conville of Schuylkill Haven.