SUNBURY - A preliminary hearing for 17-year-old Naheem J. Reams, which has been continued twice, is now scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, before Magisterial District Judge Benjamin Apfelbaum.
The hearing was scheduled for Aug. 13, but was continued to give Reams more time to secure private counsel rather than be represented by a county public defender. It was unknown Friday if the defendant had hired a private attorney.
Reams was charged Aug. 2 as an adult by Trooper Ronald Zanella of state police at Stonington with several offenses, including aggravated assault and driving under the influence of marijuana, involving a June 5 high-speed chase that ended when he was shot by a Sunbury police officer on Chestnut Street near Front Street.
Reams' preliminary hearing was originally scheduled for Aug. 6, but was continued because Zanella was not available. Northumberland County Chief Public Defender Edward Greco was assigned to defend Reams prior to his decision to hire private counsel. Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Rosini will prosecute the case.
Reams, who reportedly last lived in Shamokin, remains incarcerated at Northumberland County Prison in Sunbury in lieu of $175,000 bail.
The defendant spent 20 days in Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, for treatment of wounds to his abdomen from the shooting.
In addition to six counts of aggravated assault and DUI offense, Reams faces two felony counts of fleeing or attempting to elude police, two misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, two misdemeanor counts of accidents involving death or personal injury, and summaries of limitations of backing, careless driving, reckless driving, driving upon a sidewalk (two counts), driving under suspension, operating a vehicle without proper inspection, two counts of driving the wrong way on a one-way street, three turning violations and six stop sign violations.
