On September 2nd, 2015, Melissa Ruch, a West Penn Township Police Officer reported that she had been assaulted and thrown over an embankment along Route 309 by an alleged assailant. Police units from around Schuylkill County prompting a search for the attacker.
In December, authorities charged Ruch with faking the assault.
On Tuesday, Ruch appeared before Magisterial District Judge James R. Ferrier and waived her right to a preliminary hearing.
Ruch is charged with false alarm to an agency of public safety, falsely incriminating another, reporting an offense that did not occur.