Municipal

LISBON — An East Palestine man was bound over to the grand jury recently in Columbiana County Municipal Court on charges related to a theft of a vehicle. George Faulkner Jr., 38, state Route 14, faces charges of third-degree felony receiving stolen property, felony five possessing criminal tools and felony five fraudulent actions concerning a vehicle’s identification number as well as misdemeanor criminal damaging. Faulkner allegedly painted a stolen jeep blue and was found in Perry Township with the vehicle and the keys belonging to it on July 24. Officers observed blue paint on Faulkner’s pants and shirt and a roll of blue duct tape.

A pretrial was set Aug. 21 for Bryan Malone, 36, Grimms Bridge Road, East Liverpool, charged with violating a temporary protection order. On Aug. 6, officers responded to a domestic call at Malone’s residence. When officers arrived, Malone allegedly was carrying a child that was one of the protected parties of the protective order.

A pretrial was set for Nov. 17 for John Blinsky, 23, Youngstown, charged with unauthorized use of a plate.

A pretrial was set Sept. 30 for Sherri Salisbury, 61, Grant Street, Lisbon, charged with menacing. Salisbury allegedly threatened her landlord on Aug. 8 stating she would “bury him in the backyard after having him killed.”

A pretrial was set Nov. 3 for David Straka, 37, Toronto, charged with driving under suspension and unsafe vehicle.

A pretrial was set Nov. 4 for Virginia Mills, 58, Minerva Street, East Liverpool, charged with theft and possessing criminal tools. Mills allegedly attempted to steal items from the Calcutta Walmart by putting the merchandise in her purse and leaving all points of sales on July 30. The items totaled $83.

A pretrial was set for Brant Allison, 18, Canfield, charged with underage consumption.

Jonathan Adams, 53, Washington, Pa.,was fined $150 for speed.

A pretrial was set Nov. 4 for Corey Yates, 33, Cleveland Heights, charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. Yates allegedly agreed to exchange $140 for sexual activity while communicating with an undercover agent on Aug. 8 and traveling to East Palestine to do so.

A pretrial was set Nov. 6 for Devon Oliver, 28, Boardman, charged with speeding.

A pretrial was set Oct. 30 for Kaden Hively, 20, Georgetown Road, North Georgetown, charged with underage consumption.

Vincent Newman, 29, Washington Street, Washingtonville was fined $75 for equipment violation.

Christopher Craft, 32, Independent Square Wellsville, was fined $500 and sentenced to 62 days in jail suspended for assault, amended from domestic violence. Craft struck a woman in the face, causing a bloody nose and lip as well as swelling to her face at his residence on Dec. 12.

A pretrial was set Nov. 10 for Loretta Falkner, 59, Ansley Road, East Liverpool, charged with OVI, reasonable control and no seat belt.

A pretrial was set Nov. 6 for David Lotze, 55, Yates Road, Salem, charged with interfering with a wildlife officer and miscellaneous wildlife violations. Lotze allegedly was observed walking out of an area known as “Chemline” wearing camouflage pants and an orange jacket. Lotze had already checked five white-talied deer in Columbiana County, two over the bag limit. At first Lotze reportedly denied hunting and later admitted hiding two firearms on the property.

Angel Lopez, 52, East Fifth Street, Salem, charged with driving under suspension or restriction.

A pretrial was set Aug. 14 for Paris Hartsoe, Canton, charged with assault and aggravated menacing. Officers responded to Perry Street in Salem to remove an individual. At the scene, officers learned that Hartsoe allegedly took a phone from a female at the residence and then threatened to do physical harm to her before chasing her down the street.

Joseph Halfhill, 40, Enon Valley, Pa., was fined $1,250 and sentenced to 180 days in jail with 170 suspended credit, three imposed and credit for three days served for two counts driving under suspension, reasonable control and OVI. He also received a two-year license suspension.

Shawn Tremain, 33, Steubenville Pike, Lisbon was fined $200 for driving under a 12-point license suspension.

A pretrial was set Nov. 4 for Brandee Pritt, 28, Saint Clair Shores Michigan, charged with speeding.

Common Pleas

New Cases

Preston McDonald, West Calla Road, Salem, and Alexandria McDonald, Avondale Street, East Liverpool; dissolution sought.

The 4M Company LLC, Boardman, vs. Felix Usis III, McKeefrey Manor Farm, West Main Street, Leetonia; judgment sought for $85,000 for alleged breach of contract and unjust enrichment related to architectural design, drawings and plans for bath house, indoor pool and corrider.

Raymond Horst, Northwest Street, Columbiana, vs David Firestone, Kelly Park Road, Leetonia; collection sought of alleged $29,000 debt.

Freedom Mortgage Corporation, Boca Raton, Fla., vs. Jeremy Martin, East Friend Street, Columbiana, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.

Capital One, NA, Columbus, vs. Sandy Cooper, Rochester Road, East Rochester; collection sought of alleged $15,102 debt.

Credit Acceptance Corporation, Southfield, Mich., vs. Jessica Anderson, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, et al.; collection sought of alleged $16,546 debt.

Docket Entries

Brown Valley Farm, LLC vs. Encino Energy, LLC, et al.; case remanded back to Common Pleas Court from United States District Court, final pretrial Nov. 18, 2026 and trial set Dec. 15, 2026.

Credit Acceptance Corporation vs. Samantha Williams; $11,458 judgment granted to plaintiff.

PennyMac Loan Services LLC vs. Tracie Hinzman, et al.; mortgage foreclosure ordered for Woodland Avenue, Salem property.

Grand Jury

LISBON — A New Waterford woman accused of threatening to cut a woman on June 12 and then shooting at the woman’s residence with a gun two days later was indicted by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for multiple counts, including felonious assault.

Rebecca Lynn Simpson, 53, state Route 7, was one of 21 people openly indicted this week by the grand jury, which met for two days. The grand jury issued 22 open indictments (one person was indicted twice) and 40 secret indictments. Secret indictments aren’t made public until the defendants are served.

Simpson was charged with second-degree felonies of felonious assault and improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation or a school safety zone, both with firearm specifications, fifth-degree felony improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle and misdemeanors o f using weapons while intoxicated and aggravated menacing.

According to a police affidavit filed in county Municipal Court, Simpson allegedly contacted the woman’s daughter to say she was going to harm her mother with a box cutter style knife. On a video sent to the woman from her daughter, a female called “Becky” could be heard saying she was going to the residence and telling the woman her grandchild was killed so she’ll open the door, then she said she will cut the woman’s forehead with the box cutter style knife, then cut her legs, mouth and cut her tongue out.

The police affidavit for the June 14 incident in Liverpool Township said that the woman looked out the side window near her front door and saw Simpson allegedly standing outside the grey car pointing a gun at the residence in the direction where the victim was standing and then the victim heard gun shots ring out. The woman yelled for her stepdaughter to grab the 6-year-old grandchild, who was also near the front door, and fled to the back bedroom for safety where they barricaded themselves into the bedroom and hid in the closet.

Officers found two spent shell casings and one live round in the driveway in the area where the grey car had been parked. They found the spent rounds, with one on the sideway area and one in the ashtray on the front porch. One round grazed the wood trim around the top of the porch and struck the brick above the front door where the victim had been standing. The other round went through a lawn chair and struck the brick. Simpson allegedly fled the area, but crashed her vehicle on Sprucevale Road and was taken into custody by St. Clair Township police. An officer located a black 9 mm handgun underneath the driver seat of her vehicle with a live round in the chamber and additional rounds in the magazine.

Other open indictments issued included:

— Anthony Gregory, 38, Plymouth Place, Salem, third-degree felony strangulation, fifth-degree strangulation and misdemeanor assault for allegedly grabbing a woman by the hair, throwing her to the floor, smacking her in the face, kicking her several times and choking her on April 24 in Perry Township.

— Andrew Freed, 19, Hadley Road, East Palestine, two separate indictments, fifth-degree felonies of breaking and entering and possessing criminal tools and misdemeanors of theft and criminal mischief, and fourth-degree felony receiving stolen property and misdemeanors of resisting arrest and obstructing official business. Freed allegedly used a metal object to force the door open to unlawfully gain entry to Tiger Smoke and Vape, North Market Street, East Palestine, on June 15 and remove numerous items from the store shelves before leaving, including THC cartons, Mini Pre Rolls and Torch lighters. He also tampered with a camera. On June 23 in East Palestine, he was allegedly found in possession of a stolen 2003 Chevy Silverado that was stolen from Feezle’s Auto in Enon Valley, Pa. He allegedly fled out of a residence in East Palestine and attempted to get back inside the stolen vehicle and then was tased by a police officer.

— Olivia Redman, 19, state Route 7, Rogers, fifth-degree felony assault and misdemeanor assault for allegedly assaulting another inmate at the Columbiana County jail while she was an inmate, punching the woman on May 2, then striking a corrections officer who intervened, hitting her in the face and kicking her

— Van Evans, 19, East Cleveland, third-degree felony tampering with evidence for allegedly admitting to flushing two bags of drugs down the toilet when the Columbiana County Drug Task Force was executing a search warrant a West Fourth Street apartment in East Liverpool on June 10.

— Nathan Elkins, 26, Midland, Pa., third-degree felony tampering with evidence, fifth-degree felonies of possessing criminal tools, possession of heroin, possession of a fentanyl-related compound, two counts aggravated possession of drugs and two counts possession of drugs and misdemeanor obstructing official business for allegedly concealing narcotics in a partially hollowed out rubberized male private part tied to his leg during a traffic stop in Lisbon on April 19. He allegedly began pulling away when officers were conducting a probable cause search and allegedly possessed heroin, fentanyl,methamphetamine, 6-monoacetylmorphine, xylazine and clonazepam.

— Brett Goughnour, 50, Shadyside, fourth-degree felony assault and misdemeanors of criminal damaging, resisting arrest and menacing for allegedly attempting to assault a police officer while being placed into custody in the parking lot of the Wellsville McDonald’s restaurant on June 7. Police had been called to the lot for a person who appeared intoxicated sitting in his vehicle. He told officers he was intoxicated, then started making threats toward them. When he was taken out of the vehicle, he attempted to elbow an officer, then punched the other officer in the head. He was tased twice during the altercation. During the incident, Goughnour allegedly damaged an officer’s radio.

— Alan Heddleston, 19, Independence Square, Wellsville, third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer for allegedly fleeing from Salem police officers attempting a traffic stop on Oct. 4, 2024.

— Justin Buckel, 33, Dakota Street, East Liverpool, two counts third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer,for allegedly fleeing from police attempting a traffic stop on his motorcycle on July 1 in East Liverpool and for another fleeing incident on June 27.

— Justin Barrett, 40, Sophia Street, East Liverpool, third-degree felonies of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto grounds of a specified governmental facility and two counts complicity in the commission of an offense and fifth-degree felony possessing criminal tools for allegedly conspiring with others to bring drugs into the county jail and aided and abetted others in an attempt to bring drugs into the jail. A police affidavit alleged that he left a package by a sheriff’s cruiser parked outside the downtown courthouse on April 24 in Lisbon. The small package was allegedly intended to be picked up by an inmate at the county jail. A cell phone was allegedly used by Justin Barrett at the time he left the package.

— Brandon E. Hacker, 32, Jimtown Road, East Palestine, third-degree felony having weapons under disability and misdemeanors of aggravated menacing, illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia and menacing by stalking for allegedly going to a woman’s apartment in Perry Township and threatening her, saying he had a gun and was going to kill her, threatening to shoot her in the head on June 18. He was found with a handgun on his person and had a small baggie with a crystal like substance in his possession. He also made a threat against a relative of the victim. He allegedly made threats to kill the victim multiple times over the past three months. He was prohibited from having a weapon due to a previous felony conviction.

— Austin Lowe, 29, Apple Blossom Trail, Beloit, two counts violating a protection order, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly contacting a protected person through text messaging and social media May 31 and June 5.

— Justin Davis, 40, West Pine Lake Road, Salem, fourth-degree felony strangulation and misdemeanors of domestic violence and endangering children for allegedly choking a juvenile unconscious and smacking her, grabbing her by the throat and smacking her in the face on June 18 in Perry Township.

— Joseph Altenburg, 38, state Route 165, East Palestine, third-degree felony domestic violence and misdemeanors of criminal damaging, domestic violence, aggravated menacing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct for allegedly physically assaulting a woman by grabbing her hair, throwing objects at her, pinning her arm behind her back and pushing her around, also forcefully removing multiple acrylic nails from her fingers on July 4 in Unity Township, also threatening her after being taken into custody, kicking the cruiser door and damaging it and pulling away from officers.

— Jeremiah J. Loredo, 40, Toledo, fifth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine and two counts illegal use of minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance for allegedly having images of minors in a state of nudity on his phone after he arrived for a sex-for-hire meeting in East Palestine on Feb. 16. He also allegedly possessed cocaine.

— Richard Simons, 25, state Route 154, Lisbon, fourth-degree felony failure to provide address for allegedly failing to verify his address on May 26 for the sex offender registration.

— A case against Jesse M. Jackson, 45, Lorain, was transferred back to county Municipal Court for a misdemeanor assault charge issued by the grand jury. He was accused of allegedly choking another man in Lisbon on June 28, shoving the victim through a table and pinning him to the ground after a verbal confrontation over dishes.

Court News

LISBON — A Hanoverton man who struck a deputy in the face after being taken into custody for a warrant pleaded guilty recently to charges from two separate indictments in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.

Thomas Pitts, 42, Foundry Hill Road, entered the guilty pleas to fourth-degree felony assault, fifth-degree felony obstructing official business, misdemeanor resisting arrest and fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs. Sentencing was set for Aug. 12.

Pitts was accused of attempting to flee after being taken into custody for a warrant, refusing to listen to commands and striking a deputy in the face with his elbow while resisting on May 22 in Hanover Township. The drug charge stemmed from his possession of methamphetamine on June 2, 2024.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Gary Ridgley, 45, Bell Road, Lisbon, was ordered to spend two days in the county jail for violating the terms of his probation for a charge of aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on Aug. 3, 2020. He was sentenced to 41 days in the county jail, with credit for 39 days already served, leaving the two days to serve.