Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a pretrial was set Oct. 20 for Dalton Murphy, 22, Duke Vodrey Road, East Liverpool, charged with domestic violence for allegedly grabbing a woman to take her phone and shoes off on Aug. 11 in St. Clair Township and also threatening her via telephone.

Tom Goehring, 58, West Main Street, East Palestine, was fined $250 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 175 days suspended and credit for one day served, leaving a balance of four days still to serve for cruelty to animals. He was ordered to complete 50 hours community service and is not permitted to have companion animals. Goehring was accused of failing to properly care for a small terrier found in a yard in East Palestine and taken to a vet hospital by police, who learned the dog was emaciated and dehydrated and suffered from other conditions of neglect on Sept. 3, 2024.

Melanie Gorby, 41, state Route 170, Negley, was fined $600 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 150 days suspended and credit for two days served, leaving a balance of 28 days to serve for criminal mischief, criminal damaging and aggravated menacing. She was ordered to complete 40 hours community service. She was ordered to make restitution of $6,795 to the victim. On April 14 in Perry Township, she was accused of sneaking onto a property then driving back to the property to intentionally cause several thousand dollars in property damage. She intentionally backed into an attached garage twice, causing $3,092 worth of damage to the structure and $1,918 worth of damage to a vehicle inside. She also smashed all the windows out of the victim’s vehicle with a blunt object, causing $1,784 damage.

A status conference hearing was set Aug. 25 and a court trial was set Sept. 4 for Kirk Price, 57, Grimms Bridge Road, East Liverpool, charged with misdemeanors of theft, violation of a protection order and criminal mischief. The violation of a protection order charge was originally a felony. Price was accused of allegedly showing up to retrieve belongings at a protected person’s property when she was still there on March 24 and took the cell phone that she had just bought for work and was sending harassing text messages to her. He also allegedly stabbed a woman’s truck tire on Jan. 29 in East Liverpool after threatening her.

Edward C. Holcomb, 38, Akron, was fined $800 and given a suspended 180-day jail term for two counts of possessing criminal tools, with one amended from engaging in prostitution. He was ordered to complete an online prostitution prevention course and $240 was ordered forfeited to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. Holcomb was accused of requesting sexual conduct for an agreed upon price of $240 from an undercover agent, then drove to Salem on May 16 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Derica Barnett, 36, Chester Avenue, Wellsville, was fined $250 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for theft. She was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and a theft prevention course and to stay out of Calcutta Walmart. Barnett failed to scan and pay for 14 items totaling $89 at the Calcutta Walmart on Oct. 19, 2022.

Charges of storage of tires, litter and storage of furniture were all dismissed against David Dopler, 82, Valley Drive, East Liverpool, at the request of the city of East Liverpool, with a notation that Dopler was now in compliance. He had been accused of having piles of junk, debris, tires and indoor furniture outside at a Riverview Street, East Liverpool property on April 15.

Chelsea Lacey, no age listed, Ohio Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $500 each for four counts of failure to pay city income tax and two counts of failure to file city income tax return, with all of the fines suspended on the condition that Lacey complies with the payment plan and timely files all future returns. She was accused of failing to include payment for East Liverpool city income taxes from 2019 through 2022 and failing to file East Liverpool city income tax returns in 2023 and 2024

Joshua McIlvain, 42, Miller Road, Lisbon, was fined $975 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 177 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for operating a vehicle impaired and marked lanes. Another OVI charge was dismissed. His driver’s license was suspended fro one year, with driving privileges granted. He was ordered to complete 35 hours community service.

Alysia Hall, 35, Blakely Street, East Liverpool, was fined $875 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 177 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for OVI. A tinted glass charge was dismissed. Her driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted, and she was ordered to complete 25 hours community service.

David Copestick Jr., 51, Sanford Street, East Liverpool, was fined $925 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 177 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for OVI and improper backing. His driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted, and he was ordered to complete 35 hours community service.

Christopher Ullman, 53, Bacon Avenue, East Palestine, was fined $650 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 157 days suspended, leaving five days to serve in jail and 18 days of electronically monitored house arrest, for OVI and improper backing. Another OVI charge was dismissed. His driver’s license was suspended for two years. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service.

Scott Johns, 45, Creek Road, New Waterford, was fined $1,125 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for OVI, a turn signal violation and driving under suspension. Another OVI charge was dismissed. His driver’s license was suspended for 365 days, with driving privileges granted, and he was ordered to complete 20 hours community service.

Tanner Bean, 29, Pearl Street, Leetonia, was fined $1,075 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 174 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, with three days still to serve for OVI, registration expired, lane violation and no valid license. Another OVI charge was dismissed. His driver’s license was suspended for 365 days, with driving privileges granted, and $500 of the fine was suspended. He was ordered to complete 30 hours community service.

A pretrial was set Nov. 4 for Richard Beadnell, 61, Washington Street, Salineville, charged with driving under suspension and prohibited operation on roadway.

A pretrial was set Oct. 28 for Christy Rohn, 33, Benton Road, Salem, charged with driving under suspension and driving while texting.

A pretrial was set Oct. 28 for Samara Brooks, 28, Vienna, charged with speeding.

A pretrial was set Nov. 20 for Tyler Warner, 34, East Oregon Avenue, Sebring, charged with driving under suspension and use of unauthorized plate.

A pretrial was set Oct. 2 for Eryck Fletcher, 53, Youngstown, charged with no license.

Charles Hilditch, 64, Lang Street, East Liverpool, was fined $250 and given a suspended 60-day jail term for failure to stop after an accident. His driver’s license was suspended for 180 days.

Brett Goughnour, 51, Shadyside, was fined $100 for open container.

Andrew Smith, 38, Beard Road, New Waterford, was fined $600 and given a suspended 180-day jail term for failure to stop after an accident and reasonable control. He was ordered to complete 25 hours community service and a defensive driving course. His driver’s license was suspended for 180 days, with driving privileges granted.

Dallas Stewart, 28, Baxter Street, East Liverpool, was fined $400 for failure to stop after an accident and driving under suspension. His driver’s license was suspended for 180 days, with driving privileges granted, and restitution of $400 was ordered paid.

Frederick Kirby, 49, 13th Street, Wellsville, was fined $50 for expired license and a window tint violation.

Alexi Mendoza, 40, Hazleton, Pa., was fined $150 for an equipment violation amended from speeding.

Brody Herman, 20, Youngstown, was fined $50 for an equipment violation amended from speeding.

Willie Towler, 79, Canton, was fined $20 for reasonable control and no seat belt.

Common Pleas

New Cases

Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC, Virginia Beach, Va., vs. Raistlin Curtis, Prospect Street, Salem, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Prospect Street, Salem property.

Chad Rose Sr., McCracken Road, Salem, vs. Chappell & Zimmerman Inc., Salem, and Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Columbus; appeal sought of claim denial.

Adam Fill, Canfield, et al. vs. Nina Ricker, Woodville Road, Leetonia; damages sought for claims from 2024 traffic crash.

Bruner Land Company Inc., Byesville, vs. Derrick Coram, Buffalo, N.Y., et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.

Kyle Lykens, East Third Street, Salem, vs. American Standard, South Ellsworth Avenue, Salem, and Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Columbus; appeal sought of claim denial.

Docket Entries

Tax Ease OH II LLC vs. Don Tomlin, et al.; complaint dismissed.

MEB Loan Trust VIII vs. Michael Hetric, et al.; complaint dismissed.

M&T Bank vs. Ethan Dilworth, et al.; mortgage foreclosure ordered for Center Township property.

Velocity Investments LLC vs. Robert Williams; $16,477 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Planet Home Lending LLC vs. Kristina Briden, et al.; case dismissed.

CNJ Construction LLC vs. Moreno Concrete LLC, et al.; $39,898 judgment granted to plaintiff against defendants Sampson & Sons Concrete LLC and Moreno Concrete LLC jointly and severally.

Timothy Henry and Cheyenne Henry; dissolution granted.

Grand Jury

LISBON — A man and a woman caught during a drug raid in February near Franklin Square are now facing multiple drug charges, including first-degree felonies of aggravated trafficking in drugs and aggravated possession of drugs

Matthew Bays, 38, South Lincoln Avenue, Salem, and Ashley Rhodes, 38, state Route 344, Leetonia, were each served recently with secret indictments issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury, with each of them charged with the two first-degree felonies for aggravated trafficking and aggravated possession of drugs, fifth-degree felonies of two counts aggravated possession of drugs and possession of a fentanyl-related compound and two counts of misdemeanor possession of drugs, all with specifications for forfeiture of money from a drug case.

Bays and Rhodes allegedly possessed methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than 50 times bulk but less than 100 times bulk, $376, amphetamine, fentanyl, psilocyn, xylazine and alprazolam. The trafficking charges dealt with the methamphetamine.

All of the charges stem from Feb. 28 when the Columbiana County Drug Task Force and county Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at an old state Route 344, Leetonia property. Units were assisted by police officers from Salem and Lisbon.

According to the press release posted on the Sheriff’s Office social media page, the search yielded 282 grams of methamphetamine, miscellaneous pills, paraphernalia indicative of drug trafficking and $376 in cash. The DTF thanked the sheriff’s office, county prosecutor’s office, and the Salem, East Liverpool, Lisbon and Columbiana police departments for their assistance in the investigation.

Also served recently with secret indictments were:

— Frank Bursick, 63, East Liverpool Road, East Liverpool, second-degree felonies of aggravated trafficking in drugs and aggravated possession of drugs, with specifications for forfeiture of money from a drug case and misdemeanors of engaging in prostitution, possessing criminal tools and dealing in drug paraphernalia, for allegedly trafficking and possessing methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than five times bulk but less than 50 times bulk, possessing $183, arranging for a sex of hire meeting and possessing drug paraphernalia and a cell phone used to make the arrangements for the sex for hire meeting on Dec. 6, 2024.

— Adam Douglass, 39, Cain Street, East Liverpool, fourth-degree felony domestic violence for allegedly attempting to harm a woman on March 25.

— Macey Blair, 29, Union Street, Columbiana, fifth-degree felonies of aggravated possession of drugs and possession of a fentanyl-related compound for allegedly possessing fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl on Sept. 26, 2024.

— Donavin Hanna, 34, Pine Street, Leetonia, possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing cocaine on Feb. 6.

— Bradley Reeder, 43, McAllister Road, Lisbon, aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing methamphetamine on April 1, 2024.

— Aaron Hook, 44, McDonald, fourth-degree felony theft for allegedly depriving someone of services or property on Nov. 19, 2024.

— Jason McBroom, 43, Mogadore, fourth-degree felony counterfeiting for allegedly counterfeiting on Nov. 16, 2024.

— Lisa Johnson, 46, Toronto, possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing cocaine on Jan. 18, 2023.