Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Nov. 3 for Mark N. Hayes, 59, Phoenix, Ariz., charged with fourth-degree felony assault on a peace officer and misdemeanors of obstructing official business and disorderly conduct.

Hayes was accused of allegedly pushing Leetonia Police Chief Allen Haueter off his truck cab and onto the street, causing him to fall on his back during an incident on Industry Road, Leetonia on Oct. 23. Hayes had been told to move his semi truck, which was deemed a road hazard, and he became belligerent and was refusing to leave the truck, ignoring several warnings to desist his actions. He complied after another officer told him he would be tased.

Dominic D. Crooms, 26, West Main Street, Salineville, was fined $350 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 165 days suspended, leaving 15 days to serve for aggravated menacing, disorderly conduct and menacing, but the jail term was ordered served at the same time as 18 days he must serve for a probation violation for a 2024 case of menacing. Crooms was accused of threatening to stab another man during a disturbance on Oct. 13 in Salineville. Police could hear screaming and loud banging noises and learned Crooms had been told to leave and became hostile and aggressive. When officers made contact with him, he possessed a large fixed blade knife.

Charges of violation of a protection order and domestic violence against Sondra J. Vallera, 72, Anderson Avenue, Wellsville, were dismissed, with costs taxed to the state. Vallera had been accused of being at a residence in Wellsville on April 17 in violation of a protection order and on April 15 attacking another woman at the residence.

A pretrial was set Nov. 6 for Robert A. Mountz II, 42, state Route 164, Lisbon, charged with assault for allegedly shoving a woman down on a bed and pinning her head and body with such pressure and to the point it caused injury to her ribs on Oct. 19 in Center Township.

A pretrial was set Jan. 26 for Jalyn Mae Gates, 29, Erie, Pa., charged with complicity to aid/abet another, drug paraphernalia and carrying a concealed weapon, which was amended from a felony improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle. Gates allegedly drove another woman to a sex-for-hire meeting in East Palestine on Oct. 10 and possessed suspected cocaine and rolled up currency used to snort the cocaine. She also allegedly possessed a loaded .380-caliber handgun in her purse, along with alleged crack cocaine.

A pretrial was set Jan. 27 for Jennifer Lynn Rawson, 38, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with two counts of endangering children for allegedly causing a substantial risk to the health and safety of two children by not properly securing the residence and allowing them to leave the apartment without clothes on Aug. 23 in East Liverpool. Police learned that she woke up to find the girls missing and after contacting officers, the officers found the two children naked near a wooded area 300 yards from the apartment.

A pretrial was set Jan. 26 for Kenneth E. Dickson, 41, West Main Street, Salineville, charged with two counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly fighting with another man on the front lawn of a Church Street property in Salineville on Oct. 10, admitting he put the other man in a headlock and wrestled with him for a short time.

A pretrial was set Jan. 26 for Damecka R. Wilkins, 30, Girard, charged with operating a vehicle impaired first offense and speeding.

A pretrial was set Jan. 20 for Domingo Rodriguez Alicea, 47, Warren, charged with OVI first offense, OVI breath first offense, driving under suspension and marked lanes.

A pretrial was set Jan. 20 for Lilliana Colon, 21, state Route 45, Lisbon, charged with OVI first offense, OVI breath first offense and reasonable control.

A pretrial was set Jan. 21 for Logan Jones, 35, Oak Street, Lisbon, charged with OVI first offense and reasonable control.

Common Pleas

New Cases

Michael Zema, Sixth Street, East Liverpool, vs. Marla Zema, Youngstown; divorce sought.

Abby L. Gustafson, New England Square, New Waterford, vs. Eric M. Gustafson, Old state Route 558, Leetonia; divorce sought.

Westlake Services LLC, doing business as Westlake Financial Services, Los Angeles, Calif. vs. Nikki Jezek, Brown Street, Lisbon; collection sought of alleged $13,571 debt.

Freedom Mortgage Corporation, Boca Raton, Fla., vs. Craig S. Larson, Virginia Avenue, Minerva, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.

Docket Entries

M & T Bank vs. Ethan Dilworth, et al.; case stayed due to bankruptcy filing.

Michaela M. London vs. Christian J. London; divorce granted.

Court News

LISBON — A Wellsville man already awaiting trial for attempted murder is now facing a separate trial for possession of a deadly weapon while under detention, a second-degree felony.

E’mory Nazay Chiles, 20, Independence Square, recently appeared in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for a pretrial for the weapons charge. Judge Megan Bickerton set a final status hearing at 9:40 a.m. Jan. 26 and set the jury trial at 9 a.m. Feb. 3.

The secret indictment alleged that he possessed a metal shank while under detention at the Columbiana County jail on July 25, 2025.

His jury trial for the attempted murder charge for injuring a juvenile during a shooting earlier this year remains set for 8:30 a.m. Jan. 5, with a final status hearing at 2:45 p.m. Nov. 13 before Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam.

Chiles was indicted early in June for the first-degree felony attempted murder charge, a second-degree felony charge of felonious assault, a third-degree felony tampering with evidence charge, a fourth-degree felony inducing panic charge and two firearm specifications, all related to the April 27 shooting in Wellsville which injured a juvenile.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Derek J. Thompson, 30, Chester Avenue, Wellsville, pleaded guilty to charges from three different cases, including third-degree felony illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility and fifth-degree felonies of aggravated possession of drugs, two counts possession of cocaine, two counts possession of a fentanyl-related compound, possession of heroin, and two counts possession of drugs. Sentencing was set for Dec. 15. Thompson possessed cocaine and methamphetamine on July 18, 2022, took drugs into a detention facility and possessed cocaine, fentanyl, bromazolam and xylazine on May 31, 2024 and possessed heroin, fentanyl and xylazine on Dec. 18, 2024.

— Jason M. Call, 32, Avondale Street, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to breaking and entering, theft, receiving stolen property and aggravated possession of drugs, all fifth-degree felonies, with sentencing set for Dec. 15. Call was accused of breaking into an unoccupied property on July 23, 2024, stealing a pinball machine and disposing of miscellaneous collectibles. He also possessed methamphetamine on Nov. 14, 2023.

— Jacob Simmons, 25, Old state Route 558 Extension, Salem, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony domestic violence and misdemeanor criminal trespass, with sentencing set for Jan. 8. A felony charge of strangulation will be dismissed. Simmons was accused of being on a property in Lisbon on March 25 after being told multiple times he was not allowed on the property. A woman on the property reported that the day before, he allegedly slapped, punched and choked her on March 24.

— Damien Phillips, 23, Ohio Avenue, Salem, pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, and misdemeanors of resisting arrest, obstructing official business and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, with sentencing set for Dec. 18. Phillips was accused of possessing methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia and resisting arrest and obstructing officials on Dec. 22, 2024.