Philipsburg man waives hearing on stalking charge

A Philipsburg man accused of stalking waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday at the Centre County Courthouse.

According to state police at Philipsburg, troopers received a call at about 2:20 a.m. July 18 from a woman saying a friend had asked her to call the police. The friend had reportedly claimed that her ex-boyfriend, identified as Chad T. Ling, 28, was “after her.”

Ling’s motorcycle was located in a church parking lot along the 100 block of North Front Street, police said, but neither Ling nor the friend were in the area. Both the registration and inspection on Ling’s motorcycle were reportedly expired, and Ling’s license had been suspended for “DUI-related incidents.”

Troopers contacted the friend at about 3:45 a.m., police said, who told them she had left a residence at about 2 a.m. along South Second Street and discovered Ling and other people across the street. Ling reportedly tried to kiss her, and when she pushed him away, he allegedly broke the door mirrors on her car before jumping on top.

She claimed he chased her on his motorcycle, police said, and at one point tried to run her off the road. After she got home, he reportedly made several laps around the block before leaving.

Ling was arraigned before District Judge Allen Sinclair, according to court documents, and charged with one misdemeanor count of stalking and summary charges of harassment and criminal mischief. Ling also faces several summary traffic offenses, including driving an unregistered vehicle, driving without a license and reckless driving.

He was taken to the Centre County Correctional Facility on straight $5,000 bail, which was changed to unsecured bail Wednesday. With the waiver of the preliminary hearing, Ling’s case moves to the county Court of Common Pleas and toward trial.

This story was originally published July 26, 2017 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Philipsburg man waives hearing on stalking charge."