This is a preview of an article that will appear in Tuesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read more about the investigation and the hearing. It was a mixed bag at a preliminary hearing Friday for seven defendants accused in the case of a suspected drug crew from Youngstown, Ohio allegedly operating in Butler.The state failed to offer sufficient evidence to support some of the underlying charges — specifically possession with intent to deliver drugs and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities — against several defendants, District Judge William Fullerton ruled.But conspiracy charges were generally held for trial against those same defendants.For one defendant all of the charges were dismissed.Only two of the defendants had all their charges bound over for court.Butler County Assistant District Attorney Robert Zanella, who prosecuted the case, declined to discuss the outcome, following the nearly two-and-a-half-hour hearing.On Monday, District Attorney Richard Goldinger also would not discuss the result but he said he has not ruled out refiling the charges that were dismissed.“We're exploring our options,” he said.The investigation into the alleged drug ring “began through intelligence from confidential informants,” said a state police vice officer, who was the lone witness to testify at the hearing.