Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary/pretrial hearing was set June 16 for Dylan Walsh, 24, Lacroft Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with first-degree felony aggravated burglary, fourth-degree felony receiving stolen property, and misdemeanors of domestic violence, resisting arrest, illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, no valid license, use of unauthorized plate and a stop sign violation. A bond of $100,000 cash or surety was set. Walsh allegedly broke into a woman’s locked residence while she was inside on Feb. 26 in East Liverpool and shoved her off of a chair against a wall, also punching her twice, chasing her when she attempted to flee the residence, and then grabbing her hair and the back of her neck in an attempt to take her cell phone to stop her from calling police. The victim said he was driving a Jeep that she suspected was stolen, with police finding the vehicle had been reported stolen in Salem on Dec. 13, 2024. On May 16, police were attempting to serve Walsh with a warrant in East Liverpool when he fled on foot and was tased, with a glass pipe commonly used for smoking meth found in his pocket.

Cases against Jeffrey Steffel, 43, Chris Avenue, Washingtonville, were bound over to the county grand jury for second-degree felony burglary and misdemeanors of criminal damaging, resisting arrest and obstructing official business for allegedly forcing his way into a Pembrooke Drive, Salem residence on June 1, breaking the door and frame, then refusing commands from a Perry Township police officer who told him to get up to exit the residence and resisting arrest.

Joshua John Bailey, 34, Youngstown, was fined $750 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and a prostitution prevention course. Bailey responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for $100, then drove to East Palestine on Jan. 2, 2024 for the meeting and had the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

A pretrial was set June 16 for Richard A. Bly, 78, Canfield, charged with public indecency expose private parts for allegedly unzipping his pants, taking out his private part and urinating in public while facing state Route 45 in a plaza parking lot near the Laundry Barn in Lisbon. At the time, Bly was teaching a driver’s education practical with a juvenile male and had gone to the trunk to pull out cones while the juvenile moved to the driver’s seat. While Bly was at the back of the car, he was seen by a witness urinating in public while facing a major roadway.

A pretrial was set June 26 for James Alex Moore, 36, Prospect Street, Salem, charged with three counts of menacing for allegedly breaking the window of a vehicle while a man was inside it, causing the man to suffer cuts on his arm from the glass on June 9 in East Liverpool. He also threatened a woman at the scene and tried to claim the man broke out his own window, but another witness said Moore broke out the window.

Robert W. Reckner, 44, Grant Street, Lisbon, was fined $500 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 89 days suspended and credit for one day served, for obstructing official business. He was ordered to complete 30 hours community service. Reckner fled from a traffic stop on foot on April 5 at Grant Street by South Street, Center Township, while he was a passenger. He was found in the woods and taken into custody on an active arrest warrant through the Adult Parole Authority.

A pretrial was set Aug. 28 for Aaron Francis, 39, Youngstown, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly being on a Columbiana Metropolitan Housing Authority property in East Liverpool while on the no trespass list on June 4

A pretrial was set Sept. 2 for Shari Evans, 49, Harvey Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly walking in traffic in her bathrobe and rolling in the grass on June 9 in East Liverpool, also talking to herself and claiming she was waiting for someone and won the house across the street from a “headspace killing game.” She allegedly admitted to using heroin in the morning.

A pretrial was set Aug. 21 for Brandon Rexroad, 26, Pinetree Circle, East Palestine, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly trespassing on a Jimtown Road, Unity Township property and refusing to leave after being told multiple times by the victims and renters of the property on April 22 to leave.

A charge of illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia was dismissed against Stephen McDermott, 30, Berlin Center, with costs taxed to the state. He was fined $250 and sentenced to three days in jail for driving under suspension, with the jail term to be served at the same time as a Mahoning County case.

Justin McCauley, 18, Main Street, Wellsville, was fined $1,130 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 177 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for physical control, underage operating a vehicle impaired, failure to control and no seat belt. His driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted after serving 60 days of license suspension, and he was ordered to complete 25 hours community service.

Charges of no seat belt and two counts of driving under suspension were dismissed against Perry Wells, 47, Ohio Avenue, East Liverpool. Costs were taxed to Wells, who was also fined $75 for speeding.

A pretrial was set July 31 for Adam Olzak, 27, McCormick Run Road, Salineville, charged with driving under suspension and speeding.

A pretrial was set Aug. 19 for Michael Zema, 48, Duke Vodrey Road, East Liverpool, charged with right of way yielded by pedestrian outside of crosswalk.

A pretrial was set Sept. 9 for Haleigh Ann Huff, 18, Dorr, Mich., charged with reasonable control.

A pretrial was set Aug. 26 for Isaiah McCoy, 20, Salem Unity Road, Salem, charged with speeding.

Ana Meja, 32, North Ellsworth Avenue, Salem, was fined $200 for no license and a lights violation.

Lonny Adkins, 53, McDonald Street, East Liverpool, was fined $50 for driving under suspension.

Loghen Ward, 24, Alliance, was fined $150 for driving under suspension.

John Scragg, 46, West Main Street, New Waterford, was fined $200 for driving under suspension.

Dakota Koren, 25, Armstrong Lane, East Liverpool, was fined $30 for speeding.

Common Pleas

New Cases

Capital One Auto Finance, Plano, Texas, vs. Mariah Stevens, Failor Street, East Palestine; collection sought of alleged $20,962 debt, plus repossession of vehicle sought.

Docket Entries

Donovan Flowers vs. Brittany Flowers; divorce granted.

County Treasurer vs. Patty McCutchoen, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure ordered for Price Street, East Liverpool property.

County Treasurer vs. Keith Groscrost, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Bradley Hills, et al.; payment plan entered, case stayed.

Court News

LISBON — A woman accused of alleged assault and a charge for spitting at a doctor and police officer was ordered evaluated for competency to stand trial.

A defense attorney for Jaime Rickerd, 37, Ravine Street, East Liverpool, filed a motion for a competency evaluation which was granted by Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton. Bickerton ordered Rickerd evaluated by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio.

Charges of fourth-degree felony assault and harassment with a bodily substance, a fifth-degree felony, remain pending against Rickerd for the June 10, 2024 incident in East Liverpool. According to court records, police responded to a report of a female freaking out on people trying to check on her. When officers asked her what was going on, she allegedly started getting agitated and started walking away, then she allegedly threw a partially filled Gatorade bottle at one officer and punched another officer in the chest. After being taken to East Liverpool City Hospital, she allegedly started kicking and flinging her arms, striking several nurses and also spit in the face of a doctor and spit toward an officer.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— John Poole, 55, Warren, was placed under community control for three years for complicity in the commission of an offense, a third-degree felony, with a third-degree felony of identity fraud to be dismissed. According to the indictment, from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2022, Poole conspired with a woman to commit illegal use of supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits or WIC Program benefits, holding himself out to be her landlord to make false statements to the Columbiana County Department of Job and Family Services. He also used, obtained or possessed personal identity information of another man with the intent to hold himself out to be that man. As part of his sentence, Poole was ordered to pay restitution of $29,178.

— Austin Carter, 26, Lincoln Avenue, Wellsville, was resentenced to 12 months in prison for violating his probation for third-degree felony burglary, fourth-degree felony domestic violence and misdemeanor criminal damaging. He received credit for 154 days served. He was accused of threatening to harm a woman, entering a property and damaging the woman’s cell phone on Dec. 3, 2021.

— Phillip Cline, 51, Prospect Street, Salem, was ordered to serve a term at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center after violating the terms of drug court for charges of theft, receiving stolen property, two counts endangering children and drug paraphernalia. Once he’s done at the EOCC, he will continue with drug court. The charges stem from 2022 when he stole merchandise from Walmart and took tools belonging to someone else, along with putting children at risk.