Six defendants failed to appear in the court of District Judge Stephen Bayer, of Tamaqua, for their preliminary hearings last Tuesday, with all having bench warrants issued for their arrest.

Failing to appear were:Samuel O. Koch, 57, of Tamaqua, charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and public drunkenness after an April 14, 2016, incident. The charges were filed by Tamaqua Police Chief Richard Weaver.Kevin J. Quirk, 60, of Hometown, facing charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, making an improper turn and careless driving. The charges were filed by Rush Township patrolman Tanner Noecker following an Oct. 26, 2016, incident.Angel Dario Tejeda, 47, of Hazleton, charged with DUI of alcohol, careless driving, driving without a license and driving with a suspended license after a Nov. 11, 2016, incident in Rush Township. The charges were filed by officer Noecker.Tammy Lynn Yatsko, 46, of Tamaqua, was cited for passing a bad check on Dec. 24, 2016. The charges were filed by Rush Township patrolman Frederick Lahovski.Keith S. Roberts, 33, of Junedale, faced charges of making repairs/selling an offensive weapon without a license, filed by Kline Township officer Marybeth Elias. The charge stems from a Dec. 12, 2016, incident.Natalia A. Silvinski, 29, of Tamaqua, was charged with theft of lost/misplaced property. The charge was filed by Tamaqua patrolman Anthony Stanell following a Dec. 20, 2016, incident.All of the above charges were held for trial in Schuylkill County court.Two defendants chose to have their preliminary hearings, with both cases held over for county criminal court.John J. Kamant, 56, of Tamaqua, will face trial on charges of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct in connection with a Jan. 2 incident. A charge of unlawful restraint was withdrawn by the arresting officer, Tamaqua patrolman Richard Bekesy.Kamant was released on his own recognizance.William Dietrich, 42, of Allentown, will answer to charges of simple assault and harassment, which were filed by Tamaqua patrolman Jeremy Sborz. The charges were filed after an Aug. 10, 2016, incident.Dietrich was released on $10,000 unsecured bail.