Municipal

LISBON — A preliminary hearing was set May 29 recently in Columbiana County Municipal Court for a Hopedale man, charged with fifth-degree felony improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle. Wyatt Brown, 22, Hopedale allegedly was found to be in possession of a loaded shotgun during a traffic stop on April 18 in Hanoverton. The gun and ammo were reportedly found in his backseat after he disclosed having the weapon.

David Thomas, 42, Depot Road, Lisbon, was fined $250 and sentenced to 180 days in jail with 179 suspended, placed on one-year probation and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service for assault, amended from domestic violence. Thomas grabbed a woman by her throat at a Center Township home on Feb. 24.

Richard Dowling, 19, Wells Hollow Road, Wellsville, was fined $200, placed on two years probation, ordered to perform 20 hours of community service and sentenced to 30 days in jail suspended for menacing. Dowling rear-ended a car in Wellsville several times and followed the occupant for hours before boxing in the car and attempting to open the door of the driver.

Kathleen Witmer 54, West Southern Avenue, Columbiana, was fined $1,165, received a one-year license suspension and sentenced to 180 days in jail with 177 suspended for OVI and speed.

A pretrial hearing was set June 17 for George Petties III, 40, charged with driving under suspension and expired plates.

Lamont Beckley, 24, Akron, was fined $80 for no driver’s license and no seat belt.

Jessica Combs, 34, South Beaver Street, Lisbon, was fined $200 for driving under suspension and no operator’s license.

Jeremy Cremeans, 40, Rauch Road, East Palestine, was fined $200 for theft. Cremeans used a charger in the East Palestine Rite Aid on Oct. 23, 2023 and left the store without paying for it.

Nicole Carr, 37, Avondale Street, East Liverpool, was fined $100 for driving under suspension.

A pretrial hearing was set July 1 for Brandy Smith, Main Street, East Liverpool, charged with theft. Smith, 50, allegedly failed to scan five items worth $114 at the self checkout at the Calcutta Walmart on April 17.

Stefany Nussbaumer, 35, Youngstown, was fined $100 and sentenced two days in jail for disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia Nussbaumer caused a disturbance at a Lisbon business on Sept. 8, 2023 and was found to be in possession of several pills and a crack pipe during a traffic stop on state route 7 on Sept. 4, 2023.

A pretrial hearing was set July 21 for Jaymee Cayo, 33, Steubenville, charged with criminal trespass. Cayo allegedly entered the Calcutta Giant Eagle with no shoes, walked to a prohibited area and exited through a fire door, setting off an alarm, on April 21. Officer verbally trespassed Cayo from the store and she later returned.

Christopher Dorsey, Erie Street, East Liverpool, 45, was fined $250 and sentenced to 10 days in jail for violating a protection order and criminal damaging. Dorsey yelled profanities at the protected party, a juvenile exiting a school bus in East Liverpool on Feb. 12. Doresy also shattered a car window on Jan. 19 in East Liverpool.

Jordan Swain, 37, Mattix Road, Lisbon was fined $150 for equipment violation, amended form left of center.

A pretrial hearing was set June 30 for Devante Williams, 33, Kent, charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. Williams allegedly agreed to exchange $100 for sexual activity with an undercover agent and traveled to Salem on April 22 to do so.

A pretrial hearing was set June 30, Reagan Buzzard, 20, Wibert Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with menacing. Buzzard threatened another female with bodily harm on Oct. 11 on Ambrose Avenue in East Liverpool residence. Joshua Fortunato, 22, Wibert Avenue, East Liverpool was also charged with menacing for making threats during the incident.

A pretrial hearing was set May 5 for Amanda Falkner, 26, Shady Lane, East Liverpool, charged with driving under suspension.

Shannen Myers, 44, Glenn Street, East Liverpool, was fined $450, 180 days in jail with 170 suspended, ordered to perform 25 hours of community service and placed on two years of probation for endangering children and attempted possession of a drug abuse instrument. Meyers’ child was brought to the East Liverpool City Hospital by his grandparents on or around Feb. 26 after being stuck with a hypodermic needle.

A pretrial hearing was set July 8 for Allna Baker, 39, Gardendale Street, East Liverpool, charged with assured clear distance.

A pretrial hearing was set June 30 for Courtney Vranesevic, 32, Riverview Street, East Liverpool, charged with OVI and expired registration.

A pretrial hearing was set July 3 for Rebecca Beach, 39, West Park Avenue, Columbiana, charged with OVI.

A pretrial hearing was set July 8 for Cynthia Davis, Moore Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with OVI.

Common Pleas

New Cases

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. James Culp, Lincoln Avenue, Wellvsille Sue Ann Culp, Lincoln Avenue, Wellvsille, Tyler Culp, Lincoln Avenue, Wellvsille; delinquent tax foreclosure for Wellsville property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Elizabeth Powell, Lincoln Avenue, Central Federal Savings and Loan Association, Columbus; delinquent tax foreclosure for Wellsville property.

County Treasurer, Libson, vs. Lawrence Stacey III, N. Beaver Street, Lisbon, U.S. IRS, Washington, D.C., Ohio Department of taxation, Columbus, Huntington Bank, Columbus; delinquent tax foreclosure for Lisbon property.

Docket Entries

County Treasurer vs. James Mayfield; delinquent taxes paid, case dismissed.

CountyTreasurer vs. John Shields, et al.; parties entered into delinquent tax payment plan, case dismissed.

Richard Williams, et al. vs. Huff Hoffman; judgment of $4,800 granted to plaintiff.

PNC bank vs. Joseph Eusebio; default judgment of $6,262 granted.

Midfirst Bank vs. Samantha Frampton, et al.; judgement entry and foreclosure vacated.

Chelsea Baker vs. Mark Douglas; case dismissed.

Grand Jury

LISBON — An East Liverpool man was recently served a secret indictment by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for two counts of gross sexual imposition. According to the indictment, Ronald Buzzard, Dresden Avenue, allegedly had sexual contact with a child under the age of 13 between September of 2011 and September 2016.

Also served with secret indictments recently were:

— David Adams, Graner Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with two counts of third-degree felony aggravated drug trafficking. Adams allegedly knowingly sold methamphetamine on Sept. 7, 2023 and Sept 14, 2023.

— Audrea Farnsworth, 48, W. Seventh Street, East Liverpool charged with felony five possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. The indictment alleges that Farnsworth did knowingly possess a controlled substance on April 30.

— Craig Lower, 35, Louisville, charged with second-degree felonious assault. Lower allegedly caused or attempted to harm another man with a knife on April 30.

— Nathan Sleper, 58, Ravine Street, East Liverpool charged with two counts felony two aggravated tracking in drugs and aggravated possession of drugs, a felony in the fifth degree. Sleper allegedly knowingly sold methamphetamine and was in possession of a controlled substance on May 4, 2024.

Court News

LISBON — Thomas Trevor, 72, Fife Coal Road, Wellsville, will spend six and a half years behind bars for charges related to a 2023 accident which injured a woman and her three grandchildren.

Trevor was sentenced recently by Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam to 78 months on two counts each of vehicular assault, a fourth-degree felony, and aggravated vehicular assault, a third-degree felony, along with a misdemeanor of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of both.

The charges all stem from the Feb. 14, 2023 traffic crash that occurred on Fife Coal Road in Yellow Creek Township. According to a previous published report about the accident handled by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a Chevy Silverado driven by Trevor traveled left of center and struck a vehicle driven by Sally Lykens, Salineville, injuring Lykens and her three grandchildren who were passengers, ages 1, 3 and 5 years old at the time. Trevor was also injured and later determined to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. His license was suspended for 35 years.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Alexander Aratari, 36, Stocking Street, Washingtonville, was re-sentenced for second-degree felony felonious assault, misdemeanor violation of a protection order and aggravated menacing.

The charges all stemmed from an incident on July 26, 2023 in Washingtonville where he was accused of attempting to run over the victim while the victim was mowing a neighbor’s yard, by driving up an embankment at a high rate of speed and barely missing him. He had also been giving the victim the middle finger whenever around and violated a protection order, causing the victim to believe he would harm him.

Aratari was originally ordered to complete an intervention plan that included 15 days in the county jail, but he received credit for 15 days already served, leaving no jail time to serve. He has since violated the terms of that plan and was re-sentenced to community control with six months incarceration at Eastern Corrections in Wintersville.

— Chelsea Curran, 32, Chester Street, East Liverpool, was sentenced to four years of community control and 30 days in jail with credit for one day served for third-degree felony illegal use of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits or WIC Program Benefits and fourth-degree felony forgery, with sentencing set for April 18. Curran misused benefits from Jan. 21, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2022 and that she provided correspondence to the county Department of Job and Family Services purportedly from her landlord that she knew was forged from Jan. 1, 2021 to Jan. 27, 2021.

— Kevin M. Stevenson, 36, Newark, N.J., was sentenced to 24 months in prison and fined $10,000 for two counts of trafficking in drugs. On Dec. 11, Stevenson had both heroin with fentanyl and cocaine for sale. The heroin with fentanyl exceeded 100 unit doses, but were less than 500 unit doses, while the amount of cocaine was at least 10 grams, but less than 20 grams.

– Juston Buskirk, 46, West Martin Street, East Palestine, was sentenced to three years of community control for fifth-degree felony theft and fifth-degree felony possession of cocaine. Buskirk swindled $6,878 from Norfolk Southern from Feb. 5, 2023 to Feb. 22, 2023 with alleged false claims related to the East Palestine train derailment. He was ordered to repay the full amount in restitution. The drug charge stemmed from his possession of cocaine on Nov. 15, 2022.