SHAMOKIN - The following preliminary hearings were held Tuesday before Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III. Defendants who waived their cases to Northumberland County Court in Sunbury or were held for court were ordered to appear for plea court Jan. 6, at which time they can plead guilty or no contest, or seek a trial by pleading not guilty.
n Marshall D. Scott, 38, of 76 E. Sunbury St., Apt. 3, Shamokin, pleaded guilty to harassment and was ordered to pay a fine and costs totaling $232.50. An additional charge of simple assault was withdrawn.
Scott was charged by Shamokin Patrolman Jarrod Scandle with assaulting his girlfriend, Keri Derr, on Nov. 13 at his apartment.
n Michael Filarski, 30, of 619 W. Mulberry St., Shamokin, waived to court multiple charges involving two criminal complaints.
Filarski was charged by Coal Township Patrolman Jason Adams with retail theft in connection with a June 12 incident in which he allegedly stole a chainsaw valued at $122 from Wal-Mart Supercenter along Route 61.
He also was charged by Coal Township Detective Jeff Brennan with theft and receiving stolen property for allegedly stealing a gold bracelet valued at $600 from his sister, Lori Hoover. Police said the theft occurred between Aug. 16 and Aug. 19 at Hoover's residence, 2120 Stetler Drive, Coal Township.
n Molly Bell, 20, of 440 Catawissa Ave., Sunbury, waived to court charges of access device fraud and theft by unlawful taking.
Bell was charged by Shamokin Patrolman Jarrod Scandle with stealing an ATM card from her mother, Kerri Dacosta, of 406 S. Market St., Shamokin, and completing 18 ATM withdrawals totaling $1,044 between Sept. 6 and Sept. 19.
n William V. Clements Jr., 20, of 102 Elm St., Shamokin, waived to court charges of burglary, criminal trespass and criminal mischief relating to an Oct. 10, 2010, burglary at 114 N. Eighth St., Shamokin.
Clements was charged by Shamokin Patrolman Jarrod Scandle with breaking a window at the home of Charles Pensyl III and stealing two laptop computers.
n William Varano, 51, of 224 N. Shamokin St., Shamokin, pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct and was ordered to pay $300 in fines plus costs and placed on supervised probation for six months. An additional count of disorderly conduct and a charge of public drunkenness were withdrawn.
Varano was charged by Shamokin Cpl. John Brown with disorderly conduct for allegedly screaming and cursing at police and neighbors on Oct. 16 at his home.
He also was charged by Shamokin Patrolman Nathan Rhodes with being intoxicated and yelling and swinging at emergency medical personnel and police on Oct. 17 on Terrace Avenue.
n Amber L. Kurtz, 23, and her husband, Jeremy Kurtz, 28, of New Berlin, waived to court charges of theft and receiving stolen property.
The couple were charged by Trooper Mark Adams of state police at Stonington with stealing a refrigerator, washer, dryer and stove belonging to Lori A. Scopelliti on Aug. 30 after they were evicted from Scopelliti's rental property at 1103 Shipe Road, Shamokin Township.
n Christopher S. Grayson, 29, of 294 State Route 2026, Coal Run, waived to court multiple charges involving two criminal complaints.
Grayson waived to court two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to drive in a single lane relating to a Nov. 1 incident along Route 61 near B&L Motors in Coal Township. The charges were filed by Coal Township Patrolman Matthew Hashuga.
Grayson also was waived to court charges of simple assault, recklessly endangering person and harassment filed by Hashuga in connection with a Nov. 1 disturbance at his residence.
He is accused of head-butting and punching his girlfriend, Tiffany Bills, in the mouth while she was holding their 23-month-old daughter. He also was charged with striking Bills' father, Robert Bills, who lives next door, with his vehicle while traveling at a high rate of speed. Robert Bills fell backward into a utility pole after being hit by the vehicle, but he did not require medical attention, police said.