Nesquehoning woman waives forgery charges to court

A Nesquehoning woman who allegedly cashed a former housemate's payroll checks was scheduled for preliminary hearings on the charges last week.

Stephanie L. Keck, 30, of 239 E. Catawissa St., waived her right to preliminary hearings on charges brought by Tamaqua Cpl. Henry Woods as well as Coaldale Police Chief Timothy Delaney. Keck allegedly forged and cashed checks meant for Shane Bartenope in October and November of 2008.

Cpl. Woods charged her with four felony counts of forgery and two misdemeanor counts of receiving stolen property, while Delaney charged her with theft by unlawful taking. Keck and Bartenope were living in Coaldale at the time of the incidents.

Bail for the Tamaqua charges was set at $15,000 unsecured while Keck was released on her own recognizance on the Coaldale charge.

Other cases scheduled for Bayer's court last week included:

Robert A. Cheslaw, 28, of Hanover Township, waived his right to a hearing on charges of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol, speeding, failure to carry proper registration and operating a vehicle without insurance. He was charged by Rush Township Patrolman Scott Cramer following a July 3 incident.

William Valentine, 50, of 311 Penn St., Tamaqua, agreed to plead guilty to a charge of harassment stemming from a Sept. 9 incident. A charge of simple assault was withdrawn. The charges were filed by Tamaqua Patrolman Michael Hobbs.

Bruce K. Kemmerer, 60, of 312 Lafayette St., Tamaqua, had a charge of theft of services withdrawn.

Robert B. Mehmeti, 29, of 514 Franklin Ave., Palmerton, had charges of making false reports and driving with a suspended license withdrawn.

Mike Badalamenti, 19, of 120 W. Broad St., Tamaqua, had charges of simple assault and harassment dismissed.