Courtroom gavel

Following a recent preliminary hearing regarding sex offenses filed by state police, District Judge Kirsten Gardner threw out 15 criminal counts against Douglas Duane Hans, but ruled there was sufficient evidence to hold the 44-year-old man on 11 other charges, according to court records. The judge tossed eight of 12 counts of indecent assault on an unconscious person and six of eight counts of indecent exposure. Gardner also dismissed one felony count of promoting prostitution of a minor.

The testimony presented at the hearing was enough to convince Gardner that Hans, of 81 Broad St., Montgomery, should face trial for the remaining four counts of indecent assault on an unconscious person as well as the two remaining indecent exposure counts. He was also held for court on three counts of indecent assault plus one count each of corrupting the morals of a minor and endangering the welfare of children. All these charges stem from alleged instances between August 2024 and January of this year in the Montgomery area, police said. Hans remains locked up in lieu of $150,000 bail in this case.

In another case involving Hans, he has been held for court on one state police felony charge of strangulation and one count of simple assault that stem from two domestic disturbances with a family member at his home on Dec. 1. Bail was $35,000.

Gardner handled yet another case involving Hans in which she ruled earlier this month that there was sufficient evidence to hold him on state police charges of endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault and harassment that were filed after he is alleged to have grabbed a family member by the throat and throwing her in a couch on Dec. 18, according to a criminal complaint. He also threw a heater at the minor, police alleged. Bail in this case was $5,000.

In another case handled at Gardner’s office on Route 405 in Muncy Creek Township, with insufficient evidence to pursue the matter in court, state police dropped charges of simple assault and harassment against Perry Eugene Miller, 45, of 152 Boak Ave., lot 47, Hughesville. The charges stemmed from a domestic disturbance at his home on March 20.

In another case before Gardner, Corey James Hagenbuch, 34, of Watsontown, pled guilty to a charge of possession of marijuana after the country’s Narcotics Enforcement Unit agreed to withdraw a felony charge of delivery of a controlled substance which stemmed from an incident in Wolf Township last June 10. Hagenbuch made arrangements to pay $638 in fines and court costs.

Gardner also handled a case involving Leon Allen Schappell, 35, of Hamburg, Berks County, who made arrangements to pay $770 in fines and court costs after he pled guilty to a state police misdemeanor charge of possessing methamphetamine on Interstate 180 in Muncy Township on Feb. 4, 2025. A charge of possession of drug paraphernalia and a summary offense were dropped.

At the office of District Judge Gary Whiteman, Hunter Joseph Hesse, 19, of 314 Chestnut St., Montoursville, waived his preliminary hearing on charges of simple assault and harassment, but a more serious felony charge of strangulation was dropped by state police. The charges stem from a domestic disturbance involving a family member at his home on Feb. 25, police said. Initially jailed, Hesse has since been released on $25,000 bail.

In an assault case brought before District Judge Aaron Biichle, city police dropped charges against Levi Walker, 26, of 226 Wagner Road, that stemmed from an incident involving an ex-girlfriend in the 100 block of West Third Street on March 27. Investigators withdrew charges of simple assault and harassment.