Two defendants failed to appear for preliminary hearings before District Magisterial Judge Stephen Bayer, of Tamaqua, on the first criminal court date of 2018. The hearings were scheduled for Jan. 2. All other scheduled defendants elected to waive their hearings directly to the Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas.

Kevin Joseph Seigfried

, 24, of McAdoo was due in court to answer to a charge of theft by unlawful taking. He was cited by McAdoo Police Chief Jeffrey Wainwright in connection with an Oct. 11, 2017, incident.

A warrant was issued for Seigfried’s arrest.

Anthony Joseph Fazio

, 40, of Scranton, was scheduled for a hearing on bad check charges. They were filed by Tamaqua Cpl. Henry Woods after Fazio failed to make good on a check that he issued on Oct. 26, 2017.

A warrant was issued for Fazio’s arrest.

Hearings waived

Tyler Matthew Strawdinger

, 25, of Scranton, was charged with resisting arrest, escape, flight to avoid apprehension, providing false identification to law enforcement, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving with a suspended license and driving without a license. The resisting arrest and escape charges were withdrawn by the arresting officer, Tamaqua patrolman Thomas Rodgers. The charges were filed after a Nov. 10 traffic stop, when Strawdinger gave a false name and then fled the scene.

Strawdinger was returned to the Carbon County Correctional Facility in Nesquehoning, awaiting a hearing on different charges. Bail in the Tamaqua case was set at $25,000 percentage, which he was unable to post.

Justin Vaughn Able-Lewis

, 29, of Pottsville, was charged with manufacture/possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communication’s facility by Kline Township patrolman Frederick Lahovski. The charges stem from a Nov. 24, 2017, incident.

Able-Lewis was returned to the Schuylkill County Prison in Pottsville in lieu of $50,000 percentage bail.

James Neff

, 34, of Coaldale, faces charges of flight to avoid prosecution and resisting arrest filed by Coaldale patrolman Dinu Dermagosian. The charges were filed after a Nov. 17, 2017, incident.

Neff was returned to the Schuylkill County Prison in Pottsville in lieu of $10,000 percentage bail.

Russell Nelson

, 37, of Tamaqua, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and retail theft. The charges were filed by Dermagosian on Dec. 17, 2017.

Nelson had been lodged in the Schuylkill County prison in lieu of $25,000 percentage bail. Bayer modified that bail to $25,000 unsecured.

Blaine Smith

, 36, of Tamaqua, was charged with theft of property, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief by Tamaqua patrolman Christian DeAngelo on Oct. 15.

Smith remains free on his own recognizance.

Angela Stahl

, 47, of Tamaqua, was in court on a bad check charge filed by Tamaqua Cpl. Woods. The check was issued on Sept. 30 and returned by the bank.

Stahl was released on her own recognizance.

Jordan Funk

, 21, of Barnesville, was charged with retail theft by Tamaqua patrolman Karl Harig. The incident took place on Feb. 9, 2016.

Funk was released on her own recognizance.