Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary hearing was set July 21 for Michael Harrington, 34, Chester Avenue, Wellsville, charged with third-degree felony strangulation for allegedly putting his hands around a woman’s throat and putting her in a chokehold on July 13 in Wellsville.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set July 21 for Zachary Halfhill, 22, Beech Street, Wellsville, charged with fourth-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and misdemeanors of operation with disregard for safety, failure to stop after an accident, reasonable control, lighted lights required, speeding and six counts of traffic control devices. The charges all stem from a high-speed chase on July 11 when Halfhill failed to stop when Lisbon police attempted a traffic stop and fled at a high rate of speed, running through several stop signs without stopping, shutting his lights off and at one point leaving the roadway and striking a street sign on North Market Street near Vista Drive. He allegedly continued northbound on North Market Street at a high rate of speed through the intersection at Saltwell Road and continuing north on state Route 45, passing vehicles in no passing zones and hills before losing a tire and coming to a stop in a driveway on state Route 45.

Danny Cataldo, 61, 10th Street, Wellsville, was fined $200 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 19 days suspended and credit for 11 days served, for misdemeanor criminal trespass amended from fourth-degree felony burglary. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service and ordered to have no contact with the Wellsville address where the incident took place. Cataldo was accused of illegally entering a residence in Wellsville on the evening of July 4. Officers spoke to two juveniles who were outside and said a man they did not know was upstairs. One of the boys said he told the man he was in the wrong residence and pushed him to get him out, but the man just walked around and went into a bedroom.

A pretrial was set Sept. 29 for Lynzie Elliott, 32, Beechwood Street, East Liverpool, charged with domestic violence for allegedly throwing a phone at a man and then striking him in the face with a closed fist on July 12 in East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set July 24 for James Elliott, 34, Beechwood Street, East Liverpool, charged with domestic violence for allegedly sending a threatening voice message to a woman on July 13 in East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set Sept. 8 for Michelle Hall, 48, West Washington Street, Lisbon, charged with domestic violence for allegedly punching a man in the right side of his head and neck area, causing a cut to his right ear on July 11 in Lisbon.

A pretrial was set July 24 for Danis Ray Higgins, 20, Alliance, charged with assault for an altercation in a vehicle on Mountz Road near Homeworth Road in Knox Township on July 13 when he allegedly struck a woman’s head against the steering wheel and choked her prior to leaving the scene with the vehicle’s keys.

A pretrial was set July 24 for Kylar Brown, 24, West 16th Street, Salem, charged with assault for allegedly grabbing a woman by the base of her neck and later hitting her in the face on July 11 in East Palestine. After being grabbed, she initially allegedly hit him to get away from him.

Heather Hoffee, 31, Washington Avenue, Salem, was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for assault amended from domestic violence. She was ordered to complete 30 hours community service and a parenting course. On Nov. 30, 2024, she was accused of grabbing a child to discipline him, resulting in him hitting his head in Salem.

A pretrial was set Nov. 3 for Teresa McMillan, 61, state Route 517, Lisbon, charged with menacing for allegedly threatening physical harm against a man on July 7 in East Liverpool.

Sentencing was set Sept. 8 for Sonya Phillips-Andric, 54, Alliance, who pleaded no contest and was found guilty of theft and criminal trespass for allegedly trespassing at a Kevin Drive property in Knox Township and stealing plywood, tools, gardening items, flower pots in baskets and two banisters on April 29.

A pretrial was set Sept. 11 for Shannelle Romano, 29, Riverview Street, East Liverpool, charged with drug paraphernalia and theft for allegedly taking two bottles of pop and a container of Oreo ice cream from Dollar General in East Liverpool on July 2 with a co-defendant. On July 11 in East Liverpool, police approached her and the co-defendant and she possessed two cut straws and an aluminum foil fold with purple residue and several aluminum foil burnt folds in her purse.

A pretrial was set Sept. 23 for Taylor Foster, 29, North Shady Lane, East Liverpool, charged with drug paraphernalia and theft for allegedly taking two bottles of pop and a container of Oreo ice cream from Dollar General in East Liverpool on July 2 with a co-defendant. On July 11 in East Liverpool, police approached him and the co-defendant and he possessed several aluminum foil burnt folds with four cut straws with residue, a glass pipe and an unknown purple powder.

A pretrial was set Sept. 23 for Juan Anchondo, 38, West Clark Street, East Palestine, charged with operating a vehicle impaired second offense, OVI breath second offense and driving under suspension.

A pretrial was set Sept. 16 for David B. Turner, 18, New Brighton, Pa., charged with OVI first offense and speeding.

A pretrial was set Aug. 21 for Bryan Malone, 36, Grimms Bridge Road, East Liverpool, charged with driving under suspension, use of unauthorized plate, failure to stop after an accident, forfeiture and reasonable control.

A pretrial was set Sept. 25 for Jenna Bates, 40, East Lincoln Way, Lisbon, charged with failure to reinstate.

A pretrial was set Oct. 21 for Amanda Wilson, 39, Pritchard Avenue, Lisbon, charged with driving while texting.

A pretrial was set Oct. 27 for Joseph Savin Jr., 39, Clark Avenue, Wellsville, charged with a tail light violation, failure to display valid sticker, driving under suspension and failure to have functioning brake light.

Goran Krvavac, 48, Paterson, N.J., was fined $200 for a stopped school bus violation.

Debra Watson, 60, Diamond, was fined $130 for driving under suspension and no seat belt.

Brian Moran, 39, East Eighth Street, Salem, was fined $400 for driving under suspension, right of way and marked lanes.

Common Pleas

New Cases

Richard Newton II, Main Street, Leetonia, and Kelly Newton, Main Street, Leetonia; dissolution sought.

Steven Partezana, Andrews Place, East Liverpool, and Christine Gibson, Andrews Place, East Liverpool; dissolution sought.

Ally Bank, Detroit, Mich., vs. Jason Stockman, state Route 517, Lisbon; collection sought of alleged $14,997 debt.

Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC, Coppell, Texas, vs. Misty Breault, also known as Misty Wardell, Stewart Road, Salem, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.

Docket Entries

County Treasurer vs. Aaron Lara Sr.; payment plan entered, case stayed.

County Treasurer vs. Starr Lynn Roe, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. James Moraski, et al; delinquent property taxes paid, casedismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Jessica Hart, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure ordered for Leake Street, East Palestine property.

Hope Sawtelle vs. Eric Sawtelle; divorce granted.

Velocity Investments LLC vs. Zachary Crable; case dismissed.

Truist Bank vs. Z-Mac Motors LLC and William McGlaughlin; $18,910 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Marriage Licenses

David Toot, 26, Lisbon, teacher, and Addison Guildoo, 24, Lisbon, registered nurse.

Dale Kinney II, 46, Chester, W.Va., logger, and Kayla Fullerton, 31, Chester, W.Va., unemployed.

Tyler Thompson, 27, Columbiana, manager (Costco), and Bonnie Flynn, 27, Columbiana, corp. finance trainer (Cochran).

Jason Blystone, 50, East Liverpool, laborer, and Josie Kittle, 45, East Liverpool, disabled.

Joseph Lambert, 60, New Waterford, auto technician, and Anna Saunders, 74, New Waterford, retired.

Bret Pacella, 27, Leetonia, technician, and Eva McMurray, 23, Leetonia, customer service representative.

Kaid Crawford, 23, Hanoverton, automotive technician, and Haley Brant, 22, Hanoverton, shipping and receiving associate.

Kyle Hedrick, 33, East Liverpool, truck driver, and Brooke Cunningham, 34, East Liverpool, registered nurse.

Hector Mejia, 22, Salem, factory worker, and Martz Hernandez, 22, Salem, factory worker.

Timothy Potts Jr., 37, East Liverpool, crane man, and Brianna Chambers, 24, East Liverpool, STNA

Jared Thompson, 38, Leetonia, enforcement agent, and Valerie Bates, 41, Poland, library clerk.

Court News

LISBON — A man indicted for 50 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person was ordered evaluated a second time for the ability to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

James G. Hunter, 75, South Lincoln Avenue, Salem, had already been evaluated by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio for competency and the ability to plead not guilty by reason of insanity earlier this year.

His defense attorney recently filed a motion to appoint a psychiatric expert to forensically examine him at the state’s expense. On Friday, Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton granted the motion.

Both the status hearing set for Aug. 11 and the jury trial set for Aug. 19 have been cancelled.

Hunter had been accused of allegedly possessing obscene material that had a minor as one of the participants on Feb. 21, 2024.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Louis Hebert, 40, Grove City, Pa., was sentenced to eight months in prison for possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, with credit for 74 days already served in jail. He possessed cocaine on Feb. 3, 2022.

— Marcus Ford, 31, Canton, was sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to harassment with a bodily substance, a fifth-degree felony, for spraying a corrections officer with urine at the Columbiana County jail on April 10. Ford was an inmate at the jail at the time of the incident.