Two defendants elected to have their preliminary hearings before District Judge Steve Bayer of Tamaqua on May 27, both losing their bids to have the charges dropped.

Robert William Finley III, 23, of 165 W. Moser Ave., Coaldale, had charges of simple assault and harassment held over for trial in Schuylkill County Court. The charges were filed by Coaldale Patrolman Joseph David following a domestic incident on April 2.Finley was originally jailed in the county prison, Pottsville, in lieu of $15,000 percentage bail. Bail was reduced to $15,000 unsecured on May 16.Victor Barry Craig, 27, of 107 S. Sheridan St., McAdoo, had all of the charges against him held for court after his case was heard. He was charged with fleeing/eluding police, driving with a suspended/revoked license, failure to notify the state of a change of address, failure to display a warning flag on an oversize load, driving with obscured plates, driving with an altered license, driving with an improperly fastened load, and operating unsafe equipment. The charges were filed by McAdoo Patrolman Anthony DiVirgilio following a Feb. 22 incident.Craig was released on his own recognizance.Defendants who elected to waive their right to a preliminary hearing included:Christopher E. Benjamin, 31, of 41 Lost Creek Road, Lost Creek, was charged with altering/title registration, possession of a controlled substance, driving an unregistered vehicle, and operating a vehicle without a valid inspection by Rush Township Patrolman Jeffrey Tanner. The charges were filed following a March 1 incident.Benjamin was released on $10,000 unsecured bail.John Joseph Roberts, 42, of 210 Bowe St., Tamaqua, will face court trial on charges of fleeing/eluding police, reckless endangerment (four counts), simple assault, harassment, disorderly conduct, endangering the welfare of children, following too closely, disregarding the traffic lane, failure to keep right, driving at an unsafe speed, reckless driving, and careless driving. he was charged by Tamaqua Patrolman Matt Houser following a March 31 incident.Roberts was released on $50,000 bail.Ronald William Musselman, 30, of 416 E. Union St., Tamaqua, faces trial on charges of retail theft, receiving stolen property, and criminal mischief from a March 5 incident. The charges were filed by Rush Township Patrolman Adam Sinton.Musselman's bail was originally set at $5,000 percentage but was modified to $5,000 unsecured.Gregory C. Sholtis, 59, of 617 S. Kennedy Drive, McAdoo, was charged with driving under the influence, failure to stop at a stop sign, and failure to yield by McAdoo Patrolman DiVirgilio. The charges stem from a March 21 incident.Sholtis was released on his own recognizance.Joel Dominick Demelfi, 20, of 323 Alvin St., Freeland, will face trial on charges of aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, simple assault, four counts of disorderly conduct, and harassment stemming from a March 21 incident. The charges were filed by Kline Township Patrolman Justin Farley.Demelfi was released on $25,000 bail.Jeremy Tristan Johnson, 22, of 619 South St., Freeland, a co-defendant with Demelfi, had a charge of aggravated assault withdrawn, while charges of simple assault, harassment, criminal conspiracy to commit simple assault, disorderly conduct, and criminal conspiracy to commit aggravate assault were waived to court. The charges were also filed by Farley.Johnson was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.Lisa Sholtis, 48, of 617 S. Kennedy Drive, McAdoo, had charges of disorderly conduct and having a chronic nuisance property withdrawn, while a charge of disorderly conduct will proceed to court. The charges were filed by McAdoo Patrolman DiVirgilio on March 23.Sholtis was released on her own recognizance.Michael Canavan, 19, of 646 North St., Hazle Township, waived charges of DUI of alcohol, underage drinking while operating a vehicle, driving without rear lights, and purchase of alcohol by a minor. The charges stem from a Jan. 31 offense and were filed by McAdoo Patrolman William Curilla.Canavan was released on his own recognizance.James Sokol, 34, of 617 S. Kennedy Drive, McAdoo, had two cases scheduled before Bayer, waiving both to court. On March 22 he was charged with disorderly conduct and public drunkenness, while on March 23 he was charged with resisting arrest and defiant trespass. Both sets of charges were filed by McAdoo Patrolman DiVirgilio.In the first case Sokol was released on his own recognizance with bail set at $10,000 unsecured in the second case.One defendant failed to appear for his hearing.David Nicholas Benitez, 30, of 70 S. Kennedy Drive, McAdoo, had charges of forgery, theft by unlawful taking, and receiving stolen property held for court trial. The charges stem from a Feb. 1 incident and were filed by Tamaqua Patrolman Karl Harig.A warrant could be issued for Benitez' arrest.