Thursday's Internet Edition, August 28, 2008.

Donald “Joey” Shreve, 37, testified at the hearing and denied any wrongdoing. Shreve said he was only engaging in “horseplay” when he grabbed an 11-year-old girl and swung her in the air.

Shreve was a youth leader at Spencer Baptist Temple when the incident occurred in July of last year, the charges claim.

Another youth leader, Chad Coon, also testified at the hearing.

Coon said he was about 60 feet away when he saw the incident, first through a doorway and then after entering the church gymnasium filled with children.

According to the complaint filed by Trooper F.L. Hammack, who also testified, Shreve held the girl’s arms at her side, swinging her back and forth while making inappropriate contact between her buttocks and his pelvic area.

The girl managed to get free, but Shreve grabbed her and did it again, the charges claim. Coon informed the girl’s father, who removed his daughter from the area.

Shreve’s attorney, James Cagle of Charleston, called the charge of sexual abuse by a parent, guardian or custodian, which carries a possible penitentiary sentence, “draconian.”

When Coon said that Shreve had touched the child’s breast, Cagle noted that was not mentioned in the complaint.

Coon said it was impossible to pick someone up without touching their breast, but Cagle showed it was possible by picking up Shreve in the courtroom.

Also testifying were two character witnesses, Margie Starcher and David Boyles, who said they had never seen Shreve behave inappropriately with children.

Shreve, formerly of Spencer, now lives in Salesville, Ohio, according to court records.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Magistrate Russell Goodwin found no probable cause to send the case to circuit court for consideration by a grand jury for possible indictment.

The victim did not testify at the hearing, and has not been interviewed by authorities about the alleged incident.

Prosecuting attorney Mark Sergent said after the hearing that the reason the alleged victim had never been interviewed by State Police or child protective service workers was because there was an eyewitness. He said the victim’s family filed the complaint.

Police first questioned Shreve about the incident in October, when he agreed to cooperate with the investigation, the complaint said. He later moved out of state because of his work.

The preliminary hearing involved only the felony charge. Shreve is still facing three misdemeanor charges including sex abuse in the 3rd degree, assault and battery.

After the felony charge was dismissed, Sergent said officials were still trying to determine what to do.

“The state has several options,” he said, which include pursuing only the misdemeanor charges, or presenting the felony case to a grand jury without a finding of probable cause in magistrate court.