Preliminary Hearings

Preliminary hearings were postponed Thursday for two men charged in the death of Vickie E. Clem and the stabbing of her husband in a violent burglary last week at the couple's Falling Waters, W.Va., area home. Both Joshua L. Stitley, 32, of Hancock and Roy L. Wisotzkey, 33, of Hagerstown are charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and malicious assault, according to court documents. Stitley is Clem's son. In court on Thursday, both defendants separately waived their right to have a preliminary hearing on the charges within 10 days of their incarceration.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A man charged by Chambersburg police with setting two fires in the borough waived his preliminary hearings in both cases Tuesday in Franklin County Central Court. Robert J. Smith, 27, formerly of 270 S. Main St., Apt. 3, is charged with first-degree felony arson for a fire set on the afternoon of Dec. 27 at Person Directed Supports Inc., 978 Lincoln Way East. He also was charged by borough police with second-degree felony arson and a third-degree felony charge of causing or risking a catastrophe in a Nov. 6 fire in his apartment.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Five people charged with using red and blue lights to pull over an off-duty police officer waived their preliminary hearings Tuesday in Franklin County Central Court. Pennsylvania State Police charged the five with impersonating a public servant and criminal conspiracy to impersonate a public servant in the December incident in Quincy Township. They were scheduled for mandatory arraignment in Franklin County Court on April 4, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Three defendants waived preliminary hearings Friday in the murder of a Hagerstown man whose decapitated body was found in Tennessee Aug. 14. That clears the way for the trial of the trio charged in the death of Paul David Farrar Jr. Farrar, 26, went to visit his uncle in Savannah, Tenn., about two months ago, according to his mother, Debra Beavers of Hagerstown. In an interview with The Associated Press, a Savannah, Tenn., woman, Hazel Lee Allen, said Farrar, the three suspects and her grandson were friends.

Court to hear untaxed smokes case Two New York residents who were charged in Washington County last month with having nearly 20,000 packs of untaxed cigarettes appeared for preliminary hearings Wednesday in Washington County District Court. Probable cause was found to try the cases of Hua Shan Yu, 38, of New York City, and Xiao Ming Li, 48, of Brooklyn, N.Y. They are charged with possession and transportation of unstamped cigarettes, court records said. In early October, the Maryland Comptroller's office learned of a large purchase of untaxed cigarettes in Virginia during a surveillance operation, according to court records.

ST. THOMAS, Pa. -- Three men have been charged in connection with an armed robbery Thursday night at the St. Thomas ball fields in Franklin County, Pa., according to a Pennsylvania State Police press release. Jason Rogers and Chadwyn Rogers, both of St. Thomas, were charged with one count each of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and theft, police said. Jason Eugene Benedict of Lemasters, Pa., was charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit theft, police said.

Franklin County judges to consolidate hearings By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Tuesdays will soon be known as "Court Day" in Franklin County. Beginning Tuesday, and on that day every week thereafter, preliminary hearings for routine criminal cases will be heard in a central court on the third floor of the Franklin County Courthouse. The proceedings will begin at 9 a.m. and will run all day if necessary. Historically, preliminary hearings have been held in the offices of the six district justices in the county where the crimes occurred.

Witnesses to a fatal shooting Oct. 22, 2012, in the borough of Chambersburg took the stand in court Wednesday to describe the chaos that night. Three people who were inside an East King Street home when Victor Hugo Campos-Olguin died testified during a preliminary hearing for Jason C. Shauf, 38, of Sollenberger Road west of Chambersburg. Shauf is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and multiple counts of kidnapping, unlawful restraint, robbery and conspiracy.

A Fulton County, Pa., woman accused of sickening her boyfriend with eyedrops waived her preliminary hearing Monday. Vickie Jo Mills, 33, appeared in court and waived her preliminary hearing, Magisterial District Judge Wendy Mellott said. A date was not immediately set for mandatory arraignment, Mellott said. Mills, of 18250 Great Cove Road in Ayr Township, Pa., is charged with 10 felony counts of aggravated assault, 10 misdemeanor counts of simple assault and 10 misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment.

A Franklin County, Pa., man accused of killing three people and fleeing the state with his 4-year-old daughter in July waived his preliminary hearing Friday. Kevin M. Cleeves, 35, is charged with three counts of criminal homicide, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, interfering with the custody of children, unlawful restraint of a minor and endangering the welfare of children. Police allege Cleeves fatally shot his wife, her boyfriend and the boyfriend's mother before attempting to drive his daughter, Leia, to Wisconsin.

A Fort Loudon, Pa., man charged with endangering the welfare of his 1-year-old son waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday in Franklin County Central Court. Timothy John Gladhill, 21, of 396 Mullen St., is charged with endangering the welfare of children and criminal conspiracy endangering the welfare of children - both felonies - in an incident that occurred July 15. Mandatory arraignment for Gladhill is scheduled for Oct. 31 at 1 p.m., according to his attorney, Todd Sponseller.

A West Virginia man was drunk when he was arrested Monday near two schools while running in desert camouflage with an AR-15 training rifle, Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Games-Neely said Thursday. William Everett Alemar's blood-alcohol content was 0.213 percent, Games-Neely said. The state legal limit for motorists is 0.08 percent. Alemar, 23, of Martinsburg, was charged with committing a terroristic act and wearing body armor while committing a felony offense, according to police and court records.

A woman who is accused of risking injury to her 3-week-old child when police say she drove a car past railroad crossing gates and was struck by a train is due to appear in Berkeley County Magistrate Court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. Katie Rose Stone, 21, of 154 Gail Drive in Martinsburg, is charged with one felony count of child neglect creating the risk of injury, according to court documents. Stone, her husband, Timothy R. Stone, and the infant were taken to City Hospital in Martinsburg after the Nissan Altima in which they were traveling was struck by a CSX train Aug. 6 at the Tavern Road railroad crossing, police have said.

A man on home detention was arrested this week on allegations that he and a woman were selling drugs from their home, according to Washington County District Court records. Asaler L. Pointer, 41, and Tiffany Ann Mowery, 31, of 13813 Village Mill Drive, were arrested Monday after Washington County Narcotics Task Force agents conducted a search of the house. The search was based on sales of cocaine to a confidential informant, the statement of probable cause said. Pointer and Mowery each are charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, criminal conspiracy to distribute cocaine, maintaining a common nuisance for the distribution of narcotics, cocaine possession and firearms violations.

A Mercersburg, Pa., man accused of hitting a motorcyclist on U.S. 11 last month and fleeing the scene waived his preliminary hearing in Franklin County (Pa.) Court Tuesday. Leon Chalmers Deardorff Jr., 29, is charged with eight criminal counts, including homicide by vehicle, accident involving death or personal injury, and accident involving death or personal injury while not properly licensed. A mandatory arraignment was scheduled for June 6 at 1 p.m. Pennsylvania State Police said that Deardorff was driving a 2002 Isuzu box truck that hit a motorcycle while crossing the intersection of U.S. 11 and Social Island Road on March 7. Keith Lee Monninger, 37, of 1286 Preston Lane, Greencastle, Pa., died in that crash.

A preliminary hearing for a Washington County, Md., woman facing criminal charges after a shooting in Ayr Township in Fulton County, Pa., will be rescheduled a second time. Sarah Lynn Sipes, 25, of Hancock remains in Franklin County Jail on $250,000 bail, according to online court records. She is charged with attempted criminal homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, terroristic threats, two counts of simple assault and reckless endangerment. Sipes was originally scheduled for a preliminary hearing Monday, but that court appearance was rescheduled for today.

Two men charged in the violent robbery and beating of a 76-year-old man in his Martinsburg-area home waived their rights to preliminary hearings within 10 days of their arrests during separate appearances Wednesday in Berkeley County Magistrate Court. Magistrate Harry L. Snow told Evan Russell Shirley and Tyler Shane Munson their preliminary hearings would be rescheduled in about 30 days. Shirley, 22, and Munson, 20, both of Bunker Hill, W.Va., are charged with aggravated robbery, burglary and four counts of conspiracy.