Municipal Court

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a pretrial was set April 21 for Faith Brooke McKeel, 25, Garfield Avenue, East Palestine, charged with domestic violence for allegedly intentionally dropping or throwing a milk crate loaded with objects onto a woman’s foot, causing visible swelling and redness on July 22, 2024 in East Palestine.

Marcus Allen Ford, 30, Canton, was sentenced to 360 days in the county jail for two counts of aggravated menacing for sending threatening messages to a woman, saying he was going to kill her and her child on Dec. 6, 2024 in East Liverpool.

Victoria Redman, 19, Sprucevale Road, Rogers, was fined $600 and sentenced to 180 days, with 140 days suspended and credit for 12 days served, leaving a balance of 28 days still to serve in jail for domestic violence, assault and theft. She was ordered to complete 40 hours community service and to have no contact with the victims. Redman was accused of assaulting a man inside Lena’s Lounge in East Liverpool on Sept. 16, 2024. She was also accused of grabbing a man’s wallet, taking $800 cash and fleeing on foot on Harvey Avenue, East Liverpool on April 30, 2024. On May 22, 2024, she was accused of scratching a man on his face and threatening to stab him on Ohio Avenue, East Liverpool.

Pete C. Kramer, 48, Canfield, was fined $750 and given a 90-day suspended jail term for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with a female in exchange for $140, then traveling to East Palestine on Nov. 22, 2024 for the meeting. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and a 12-hour education course.

Alexis Jackson, 20, Globe Street, East Liverpool, was fined $200 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for theft. She was ordered to complete 40 hours community service and to have no contact with the Walmart in Calcutta. Jackson failed to scan and pay for seven items totaling $85.46 at the Calcutta Walmart on Feb. 7.

A pretrial was set May 12 for Steven Slagle, 35, St. Clair Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly entering a locked office in the recreation room of the Columbiana County jail on County Home Road, Lisbon on Feb. 18. Slagle was an inmate at the jail.

A pretrial was set April 24 for Chase Perkins, 26, Roosevelt Avenue, Salem, charged with criminal trespass, theft and criminal damaging or endangering for allegedly entering a locked office in the recreation room of the Columbiana County jail on County Home Road, Lisbon, on Feb. 18 while an inmate at the jail. After breaking into the office, he took a pack of gum, a pen and a can of hair clipper spray. While in the recreation area, he also allegedly damaged a broom owned by the jail by removing the wire binding from it.

A pretrial was set Feb. 27 for Brandon Shaffer, 28, Wood Aly, Washingtonville, charged with criminal trespass and criminal damaging or endangering for allegedly entering a locked office in the recreation room of the Columbiana County jail on County Home Road, Lisbon, on Feb. 18 while an inmate at the jail. While in the recreation area, he also allegedly damaged a broom owned by the jail by removing the wire binding from it.

A pretrial was set April 29 for Michelle Lynch, 36, St. George Street, East Liverpool, charged with having weapons while intoxicated, operating a vehicle impaired first offense, OVI breath first offense and a turn signal violation. Lynch was found impaired and in possession of a firearm during a traffic stop on Feb. 21 in Wellsville.

Charges of failure to file city income tax return and three counts failure to pay city income tax were all dismissed against Leah Yanni, 39, Etruria Street, East Liverpool. She had been accused of allegedly failing to file an East Liverpool city income tax return in 2024 and allegedly failing to include remittance with East Liverpool city income tax returns in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Shawn Harpold, 45, Spring Grove Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $500 each for four counts of failure to pay city income tax, with all of the fines suspended. He was accused of failing to make remittance with East Liverpool city income tax returns for tax years 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Shawn Buckel, 54, Michigan Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $500 each for five counts of failure to file city income tax return, with all the fines suspended on the condition that he fled and pay all future returns and taxes when due. Buckel failed to file East Liverpool city income tax returns from 2020 through 2024.

Charges of deposit litter, garbage, trash or junk on adjacent property on alley and storage of furniture against D & E Legacy Group, care of Eric Davis, Austintown, were dismissed, with costs taxed to the defendant. The city of East Liverpool filed the charges alleging garbage, junk, refuse and indoor furniture scattered about the property on St. George Street, East Livepool in October 2024.

Alvin Stanley Pugh, 45, Etruria Street, East Liverpool, was fined $500 and sentenced to 10 days in jail, with both the fine and jail sentence suspended, for period of two years for a littering charge. The property must be maintained in accordance with East Liverpool city code. The charge stemmed from junk and debris at an Etruria Street, East Liverpool property on June 1, 2023.

A charge of marijuana drug paraphernalia was dismissed with prejudice against Levi Bryarley, 20, Church Street, Salineville. Bryarley had been accused of possessing a weed bowl on Nov. 13, 2024 in Lisbon.

Nathan Kaufman, 31, East State Street, Salem, was fined $755 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended, leaving three days still to serve in jail for OVI, brake light, no seat belt and two counts of driving under suspension. A charge of speeding was dismissed. His driver’s license was suspended for one year and he was ordered to complete 20 hours community service.

A pretrial was set May 15 for Bharath Kadamanchi, 23, Pittsburgh, Pa., charged with speeding.

Debra Hamilton, 62, Alliance, was fined $150 for failure to display valid sticker. A charge of driving under suspension was dismissed.

Alice Backus, 34, Belmar Street, East Liverpool, was fined $300 for no license and speeding.

Trenton Mathes, 20, Woodland Drive, Columbiana, was fined $200 for driving under suspension.

Michelle Hall, 47, Scroggs Road, Lisbon, was fined $150 for driving under suspension.

Andrew Lakatos, 37, Campbell, was fined $130 for driving under suspension and no seat belt.

Chelsea Heaton, 28, Sunnyside Street, East Liverpool, was fined $175 for two counts of unsafe vehicle amended from driving under suspension.

Alec Ricketts, 22, New Springfield, was fined $50 for speeding.

Neil Anthonsen, 41, South Main Street, Columbiana, was fined $50 for an equipment violation amended from stopped school bus.

Common Pleas

New Cases

Katherine Helman, Newington, Conn., and Bruce Helman, Bell School Road, East Liverpool; dissolution sought.

Julie Pugliano, Main Street, Wellsville, and Rocco Pugliano, Nevada Street, Wellsville; dissolution sought.

Stephen Shaw, Duke Vodrey Road, East Liverpool, and Karen Shaw, Duke Vodrey Road, East Liverpool; dissolution sought.

Michael and Carla Bettross, both Poland, vs. Veterans Energy Group LLC, Westlake, and Kevin Kerr, Moore Avenue, East Liverpool; damages sought for claims of breach of contract, fraud and Consumer Sales Practices Act violations related to swimming pool installation.

Docket Entries

Brenda Hartley and James Hartley Jr.; dissolution granted.

Shelly Kennedy and Kenneth Kennedy; dissolution granted.

PNC Bank vs. Richard Hays and Jacquelin Hays; $12,486 judgment granted to plaintiff.

County Treasurer vs. Jessica Beaver, et al.; payment plan entered, case stayed.

Court News

LISBON — A man already sentenced to 15 months in prison last month for vehicular assault and failure to stop after an accident was sentenced recently to an additional six months for a drug charge.

Trenton Gill, 22, with addresses listed in Wellsville and New Cumberland, W.Va., appeared for sentencing in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on Oct. 13, 2023.

The new six-month term was ordered served consecutive to the 15-month term he’s already serving, making his total incarceration 21 months for the two cases.

In the first case, the charges included a lesser offense of vehicular assault, a fourth-degree felony, and fifth-degree felony failure to stop after an accident. The vehicular assault was originally a third-degree felony. Gill’s driver’s license was suspended for three years.

Gill was accused of attempting to pass on a double yellow line and causing a head-on collision with another vehicle, fleeing the scene on foot on May 6, 2023 in Madison Township on state Route 45. Gill was accused of causing serious physical harm to Steven and Lisa Cunningham after striking their vehicle.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Donovain Casey, 19, Roller Coaster Road, Lisbon, pleaded guilty to charges in two separate cases, including second-degree felony robbery, fifth-degree felony theft and fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs. He was placed under community control for four years, but also ordered to serve 270 days in the county jail, with credit for 90 days already served, leaving a balance of 180 days to serve in jail. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim. Casey was accused of approaching a juvenile with a knife and stealing the victim’s cell phone before fleeing the area on foot on Oct. 29, 2024 in Salem. The drug charge was for possessing methamphetamine on Nov. 4, 2024.

— Martin Fletcher, 39, Gardendale Street, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for violating his probation for two counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs, one a fourth-degree felony and one a third-degree felony, for selling or offering to sell fentanyl on April 13, 2017 and Aug. 8, 2017. He received credit for 36 days already served in jail. His probation was dishonorable terminated.

— Scott Thompson, 51, Butler, Pa., pleaded guilty to fifth-degree felony possession of cocaine and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia, with sentencing set for May 2. A fourth-degree felony promoting prostitution charged will be dismissed. Thompson was accused of transporting a woman to East Palestine for a sex-for-hire meeting on Nov 18, 2023 and possessing suspected crack cocaine and a crack pipe.

— Jonathan Shellenberger, 35, Gavers Road, Hanoverton, pleaded guilty to misdemeanors of domestic violence and endangering children, with sentencing set for April 25. A fourth-degree felony strangulation charge will be dismissed. Shellenberger was accused of grabbing a juvenile girl by the arm, shoulders and neck area and throwing her into the residence on Gavers Road, Hanoverton on April 13, 2024.

— Enrico Jones, 33, Clark Avenue, Wellsville, pleaded guilty to a lesser-included offense of fourth-degree felony domestic violence, with sentencing set for March 10. He was originally charged with third-degree felony domestic violence. A third-degree felony strangulation charge will be dismissed. He was accused of causing harm and choking a woman on March 14, 2024 in Wellsville, with a previous conviction for domestic violence on his record.

— Jessica Morris, 47, Anderson Avenue, Wellsville, pleaded guilty to fifth-degree felony harassment with a bodily substance, with misdemeanors of resisting arrest, obstructing official business and disorderly conduct to be dismissed. Sentencing was set for April 24. Morris was accused of spitting on the arm of a police officer after being taken into custody and taken to the police station in East Liverpool for being severely intoxicated on Aug. 18, 2024 and refusing to get into a police cruiser for a ride home.

— Chase McDonald, 18, Main Street, Wellsville, was sentenced to 165 days in jail, with 157 days suspended, leaving a balance of eight days still to serve in the county jail for trespass in a habitation when a person is present or likely to be present, a fourth-degree felony. McDonald was accused of trespassing in a residence when it was likely to be occupied on July 28, 2024.

— Eric Joplin, 33, Wintersville, was sentenced to 180 days in the county jail, with credit for 90 days served, leaving a balance of 90 days still to serve for violating his probation for carrying a concealed weapon, a fourth-degree felony. The charge stemmed from an incident on May 29, 2021.

— Christopher Steenge, 46, Washingtonville Road, Salem, pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony, with sentencing set for April 28. Steenge possessed methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk on Nov. 5, 2019.

— Melvin Hershberger, 20, Oak Hill, pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, and was placed under community control for three years for possessing methamphetamine on Feb. 2, 2023.

— Shawn Paulin, 45, Toronto, was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of fentanyl-related compound, a fourth-degree felony, and possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony. He received credit for 70 days served in jail. Paulin possessed fentanyl and cocaine on Feb. 23, 2023.