Common Pleas

New Cases

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. unknown heirs, etc. of Evelyn Quarterman, no address listed, notification by publication; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for state Route 267, East Liverpool property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Tamelia R. Coil, also known as Sims, Thompson Avenue, East Liverpool; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Thompson Avenue, East Liverpool property.

Docket Entries

NewRez LLC vs. Zachary Kreidler, et al.; case dismissed.

Click n’ Close, Inc. vs. Kyle A. Ingram Sr., et al.; case dismissed.

Court News

LISBON –A New Waterford woman accused of threatening to cut another woman on June 12 and then shooting at the other woman’s residence with a gun two days later was ordered evaluated by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio for competency and sanity.

Rebecca Lynn Simpson, 54, state Route 7, was indicted earlier this year for 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 of using weapons while intoxicated and aggravated menacing.

A defense attorney for Simpson filed motions for a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and for a competency evaluation. Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton ordered the evaluation.

According to a police affidavit filed in county Municipal Court, Simpson allegedly contacted the other woman’s daughter to say she was going to harm her mother with a box cutter style knife. On a video sent to the other 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 victim looked out the side window near her front door and saw Simpson allegedly standing outside a 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. 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.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— James R. Leonard, 42, Idaho Avenue, Salem, pleaded guilty to four counts of swatting, a fourth-degree felony, and misdemeanor counts of menacing by stalking and telecommunications harassment, with sentencing set for Jan. 5. On Jan. 6, Jan. 7, Jan. 14 and Feb. 7, all in 2024, Leonard reported false or misleading information to law enforcement or emergency personnel which caused an emergency response. From Nov. 22, 2023 to May 1, 2024, he engaged in a pattern of conduct that caused a woman to believe he would cause her physical harm and also harassed a person through telecommunication from Nov. 22, 2023 to May 1, 2024.

— Michael E. Berry Jr., 43, Campbell, pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, with sentencing set for Jan. 16, for possessing methamphetamine on May 3, 2023.

— A Youngstown man accused of acting suspicious with a sword in East Liverpool earlier this year was ordered evaluated for competency and sanity.

David Todd Gamble, 36, Youngstown, was charged with second-degree felony burglary and misdemeanors of theft and criminal mischief for allegedly breaking into another man’s house in East Liverpool and stealing several items on Aug. 27.

Police had responded to a report of a man with a sword acting suspicious and found Gamble with the sword lying on the ground with clothing and toys spread out in the parking lots surrounding the building. He told police he removed bricks from the walkway of the alumni association buildings, broke an electrical outlet cover and removed a surveillance camera from the property.

Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam ordered the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio to conduct the evaluations. He scheduled a status hearing for Dec. 22.

— Brandon E. Hacker, 32, Jimtown Road, East Palestine, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony having weapons under disability and misdemeanors of aggravated menacing and menacing by stalking, with sentencing set for Dec. 1. A charge of illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia was dismissed. He was accused of 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.

— Justen D. Smith, 37, Canton, pleaded guilty to attempted possession of cocaine, a misdemeanor, with sentencing set for Dec. 22. Smith was originally indicted for possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing cocaine on Feb. 3, 2024.

— John D. Parks, 40, South Main Street, Columbiana, pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated possession of drugs, a fourth-degree felony, with sentencing set for Dec. 22. He was originally indicted for aggravated possession of drugs for allegedly possessing methamphetamine on Dec. 28, 2023.