A former Lansford man had the bulk of serious charges against him withdrawn when it came time for his preliminary hearing before District Judge Stephen Bayer of Tamaqua on June 28.

Brett T. Rodriguez, 37, who now resides in Tamaqua, was a passenger in a car stopped by Coaldale police on Feb. 8. He was found to be in possession of a baggie containing a white crystalline substance, which field tested positive for methamphetamine. When officers tried to arrest him, there was a scuffle.All of the felony charges, which included multiple counts of aggravated and simple assault, were withdrawn. Charges of resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and four counts of harassment were all waived to be heard at a later time in Schuylkill County court.He was released on $25,000 percentage bail.Other cases scheduled before Bayer on June 28 were:Ryan C. Ventresca, 33, of 515 Willow St., Pottsville, waived a hearing on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to stop at a red light, and having an obscured license plate. The charges were filed by Tamaqua patrolman Colin Leibensperger after a Feb. 13 incident.He was released on his own recognizance.Chantal Maree Mills, 25, of 82 Washington St., Middleport, waived a hearing on charges of DUI of alcohol and disregarding the traffic lane. Charges of careless driving and driving without a valid inspection were withdrawn by the arresting officer, Leibensperger. The charges stem from a Feb. 7 incident.She was released on her own recognizance.Michael Kryworuka, 41, of 3 Golf Road, Barnesville, waived charges of lying to police and failure to stop at a stop sign to the county court. The charges were filed by Leibensperger after a Jan. 3 incident.He was released on his own recognizance.Edward M. Coyle, 36, of Tamaqua waived a hearing on charges of lying to police and possession of drug paraphernalia. The charges stem from a May 3 incident and were filed by Rush Township police Sgt. Duane Frederick.He was released on his $10,000 percentage bail.Tony A. Mundo, 36, of 115 Catawissa St., Tamaqua, waived a charge of receiving stolen property, filed by state trooper Andrew Letcavage. He was charged in connection with a Nov. 29, 2015, incident.Bail was set at $10,000 unsecured.Joseph Etherington, 32, of 57 Main St., Port Carbon, had charges of retail theft, conspiracy, resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with a suspended sentence withdrawn. The charges were filed by Rush Township patrolman Joseph David in connection with a Dec 8, 2015, incident.