A number of defendants scheduled for preliminary hearings before District Judge Stephen Bayer of Tamaqua on June 28 elected to wait to have their cases heard at the county level. That includes two people scheduled to be in court on multiple cases.

George Michael Cope, 29, of 510 E. Elm St., Tamaqua, didn't have his cases heard but was able to get his bail modified and was released from the Schuylkill County prison in Pottsville. Bail was set at $50,000 when Cope was arrested in a drug warrant roundup on May 2. Those charges, filed by Tamaqua patrolman Anthony Stanell, included three felony counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, three misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. The charges were filed after controlled drug buys on April 12.Cope's second case was for possession of drug paraphernalia, with the charges filed by Tamaqua patrolman Colin Leibensperger on April 16.His bail was reduced to $10,000, which he was able to post.Roxanne Lee Counterman, 42, of 38 W. Miner St., Coaldale, also had two hearings scheduled before Bayer. Both were related to shoplifting incidents at the HT Commons Walmart in Hometown. Rush Township officer Robert Bechtel filed charges of retail theft and receiving stolen property in both cases, which stem from thefts on March 18 and March 20.She was released on her own recognizance in both cases.Kyle Hoppes, 27, of 434 Valley St., New Philadelphia, failed to appear for his hearing on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and harassment. The charges were filed by Tamaqua patrolman Michael Hobbs after an April 20 incident and were held for county court trial.A warrant was issued for his arrest.Dustin P. Oncay, 32, of 124 W. Cottage Ave., Tamaqua, had his case heard by the judge, but ended up having all of the charges held for court. Filed by Tamaqua patrolman Thomas Rodgers, the charges include two felony counts of possession with intent to deliver, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance from an April 14 incident.Oncay was able to get his $50,000 bail reduced to 10 percent of $10,000, which he was able to post.Shannon Marie Yemm, 23, of 205 E. Ridge St., Coaldale, also had her bail reduced. She was charged with two felony counts of possession with intent to deliver, a felony count of criminal use of a communication facility and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance. Charges were filed by patrolman Rodgers after an April 23 incident.Her bail was reduced from $25,000 straight to 10 percent of $1,000.Anthony Edward Pascoe, 30, of 230 Green St., Tamaqua had a felony count of possession with intent to deliver withdrawn. He waived to court charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. The charges stem from a May 2 incident and were fled by Tamaqua Cpl. Henry Woods.His bail was reduced from $10,000 percentage to $10,000 unsecured.Charles Calvin Erbe Jr., 38, of 128 Greenwood St., Coaldale, waived his charges to court. They included two felony counts of possession with intent, one felony charge of criminal use of a communication facility and a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance. The charges were filed by Tamaqua patrolman Rodgers following a Feb. 10 incident.His bail was reduced from $25,000 percentage to $5,000 percentage.Jill M. Kostowskie, 26, of 336 W. Chester St., Shenandoah, waived a hearing on a single charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, stemming from a Dec. 17, 2015, incident. The charge was filed by Schuylkill County Sheriff's officer Scott Taylor.Her bail was reduced from $5,000 percentage to $5,000 unsecured.Kevin Ketchledge, 32, of 227 Lafayette St., Tamaqua, waived charges to the county court. He was charged with one felony count each of possession with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communication facility and misdemeanor counts of theft by deception and receiving stolen property. The charges were filed byStanell after a March 1 incident.His bail was reduced from $25,000 straight to 10 percent of $10,000.All of the bail modifications were due to agreements between an assistant Schuylkill County District Attorney and the defendants' attorneys.