Common Pleas

New Cases

Ashley D. Moran, East Eighth Street, Salem, and Brian J. Moran, Sponseller Road, Columbiana; dissolution sought.

Docket Entries

U.S. Bank Trust National Association vs. Jeffrey A. Doolin, et al.; JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and JPMorgan Mortgage Acquisition Corp. dismissed as parties to case.

County Treasurer vs. Tina Marie Hancock; payment plan entered, case stayed.

Marriage Licenses

Jacob M. Arkwright, 36, Salem, diesel tech, and Krystel Renee Carmack, 32, Salem, CNA.

Wesley J. Baxter, 25, East Liverpool, business owner, and Trinity Ann Syvertsen, 24, East Liverpool, cook.

Gregory P. Hruby, 59, Hanoverton, self-employed farmer, and Tracy M. Smith, 59, Hanoverton, case manager.

Grand Jury

LISBON — An Alliance man accused of having sexual conduct with a teen over a three-year period was served recently with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury.

Matthew A. Grate, 42, was charged with two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a third-degree felony. According to the indictment, Grate allegedly engaged in sexual conduct starting when the victim was 13 years old, from July 3, 2020 to July 2, 2023.

Bond was set at $50,000 cash or surety and he was ordered to have no contact with the victim.

Also served with secret indictments were:

— Krista M. Gallite, 38, Lexington Avenue, Salem, aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing methamphetamine on March 23, 2025.

— Kurt Holloway, 30, Brookfield Avenue, Lisbon, possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing cocaine on April 5, 2025.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a case against Romello Shamone Edison, 27, West Sixth Street, East Liverpool, was bound over to the county grand jury for fourth-degree felony failure to comply. Edison allegedly failed to move over for emergency lights on state Route 39 and fled from police who attempted a traffic stop, accelerating and losing control, with the vehicle sliding sideways and coming to rest in an empty gravel lot on Nov. 2 in East Liverpool. He was also fined $100 for no license.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Dec. 1 for Alex G. Perez Calel, 25, West State Street, Salem, charged with fourth-degree felony operating a vehicle impaired-fourth offense and misdemeanors of endangering children while operating a vehicle, OVI fourth offense, OVI breath fourth offense, failure to stop after an accident, driving under suspension and assured clear distance. Calel allegedly had a child in a vehicle that he was driving and crashed while he was allegedly impaired on Nov. 7 in Salem. According to an affidavit, this was his fourth OVI offense in 10 years.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Nov. 24 for Jacob Hunter Richards, 22, state Route 164, Lisbon, charged with fifth-degree felony improper handling firearms in a motor vehicle, and misdemeanors of operating a vehicle impaired first offense and speeding. Richards allegedly possessed a loaded 9mm handgun in the vehicle next to him after a traffic stop on Nov. 8 while allegedly driving impaired in Salem Township.

Jonathan R. Rudder, 40, Aliquippa, Pa., was fined $850 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 76 days suspended and credit for 14 days served, for engaging in prostitution, possessing criminal tools and drug paraphernalia. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and an education course. On Dec. 6, 2024, he responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website of two women and arranged to have sexual activity with them in exchange for money, traveling to East Palestine for the meeting. He had the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession, along with alleged devices to snort cocaine and possessing suspected cocaine.

Sherri Salisbury, 61, last known address Canton, was fined $150 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 15 days suspended, leaving a balance of 15 days still to serve for menacing. She was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and to have no contact with the victims. On Aug. 6, she was accused of texting and calling a man repeatedly after being told not to do it and when he came to the residence to do some work, she threatened him, saying “she would bury him in the back yard after having him killed,” a police affidavit said. She was also fined $450 for disorderly conduct and two counts of criminal trespass. On Aug. 16, she was harassing another woman, repeatedly tapping on her window despite being told to stop peering through and tapping on the window. The other woman was worried Salisbury might cause her harm. She trespassed on the Smith Oil property in Lisbon on Sept. 7 and 10 after being trespass from the business on Aug. 26.

Bryan P. Malone, 37, Grimms Bridge Road, East Liverpool, was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 166 days suspended and credit for one day served, leaving a balance of 13 days still to serve in jail for telecommunications harassment and violating a protection order. He was ordered to complete 30 hours community service and to have no contact with the victim. Malone was accused of calling a woman 35 times in 12 minutes on her cell phone after she told him three times to stop calling her cell phone on Feb. 27 in Middleton Township. On Aug. 6 in St. Clair Township, he violated a protection order against him that includes protected people he contacted. Malone was also fined $950 for failure to stop after an accident, reasonable control, driving under suspension, use of unauthorized plate, expired tag and two counts forfeiture.

Melissa Ann Tamalonis, 33, Hookstown, Pa., was fined $350 for obstructing justice for giving East Liverpool police a false name and birthdate while a passenger during a traffic stop on May 9.

A pretrial was set Jan. 28 for Joshua Lee Rzucildo, 23, Medina, charged with violation of a protection order for allegedly contacting a protected person by email on Oct. 2 and by phone on Oct. 7 in violation of a protection order in Lisbon.

A pretrial was set Jan. 28 for Matthew J. Campbell, 42,Youngstown, charged with two counts of telecommunication harassment for allegedly sending multiple text messages and phone calls to a woman on Aug. 21 after he was advised to stop contacting her. She showed a Salem police officer multiple screenshots of text messages, social media posts and missed telephone calls from the defendant.

Ernie Lee Schmachtenberger, 47, Walker Road, Minerva, was fined $300 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for weapons while intoxicated. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service. On June 6, he was accused of being intoxicated with a rifle that went off in the bedroom of a West Township property. Deputies found an entry hole of a bullet in the ceiling.

Helmut E. Purvis, 65, Samuel Street, East Liverpool, was fined $200 for drug paraphernalia for possessing a burnt glass pipe with a crystal-like substance during a traffic stop on Aug. 15 in East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set Feb. 3 for Edwin W. Hager, Jr., 86, Michigan Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with criminal damaging for allegedly popping the tires of another person’s vehicle on Aug. 12 in East Liverpool with a sharp instrument.

A pretrial was set Jan. 6 for Kyle A. Hutchings, 34, New Martinsville, W.Va., charged with failure to move to left for public safety vehicle.

A pretrial was set Feb. 4 for Jason E. Joy, 50, Canton, charged with operating a vehicle impaired first offense, OVI refusal with prior within 20 years, and improper/expired registration.

A pretrial was set Feb. 4 for Ryan Thomas Martin Ammon, 42, Vernia Street, East Liverpool, charged with physical control and OVI refusal with prior within 20 days.

A pretrial was set Feb. 4 for Deborah Briggs McMyler, 60, Bay Village, charged with speeding.

Jaymison Giovanni Eberhart, 19, Clark Avenue, Wellsville, was fined $400 for underage consumption and speeding.

Dontay Michael James Wilcox, 19, Dresden Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $180 for no license, no seat belt and expired registration.

Christopher Edward Rimoldi, 20, East Clark Street, East Palestine, was fined $75 for assured clear distance.

Gerald Ray McCracken, 66, Alliance, was fined $150 for stopped school bus.

Trentyn Paul Skinner, 22, Malvern, was fined $150 for an equipment violation amended from a stop sign violation.

Court News

LISBON — A Columbiana man accused of being impaired during a crash which seriously injured a woman in 2023 was recently sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Christopher Mele, 65, Lucretia Lane, appeared for sentencing in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court before Judge Megan Bickerton.

Earlier this fall, he entered pleas of no contest and stipulated to being found guilty of third-degree felony aggravated vehicular assault, fourth-degree felony vehicular assault and misdemeanor operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them. Another OVI charge was dismissed.

For sentencing, the two vehicular assault charges merged, with the state electing to have Mele sentenced for the third-degree felony charge, for a mandatory term of 30 months or two and a half years in prison. He was sentenced to 60 days in the county jail and fined $565 for the OVI, but the jail term was ordered served at the same time as the prison term.

Restitution of $6,697 was ordered and his driver’s license was suspended for 10 years.

The indictment alleged that Mele on Aug. 12, 2023, while operating a 2022 Buick Envision, caused serious physical harm to Samantha Harris as a proximate result of committing an OVI. According to Columbiana County Common Pleas Court records, Harris was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Matthew Murphy when Mele’s eastbound vehicle on state Route 14 crossed the center lane and struck Murphy’s westbound vehicle.

Mele’s attempt to have blood toxicology evidence thown out failed earlier this year, with his motion to suppress denied.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Donald V. Weyand, 57, last known address Monaca Street, East Liverpool, was ordered evaluated for competency and sanity by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio after his defense attorney filed motions requesting the evaluations for competency and to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. He was indicted recently for second-degree felony burglary and misdemeanor theft and criminal damaging for allegedly stealing a speaker from a residence on Minerva Street in East Liverpool after forcing entry and damaging the rear entry door and frame on July 19.

— Austin S. Lowe, 29, Apple Blossom Trail, Beloit, pleaded guilty to violating a protection order, a fifth-degree felony, with sentencing set for Jan. 9. A second count of violating a protection order will be dismissed. Lowe was accused of contacting a protected person through text messaging and social media May 31 and June 5, in violation of a protection order.

— Sarah L. Maze, 46, New Brighton, Pa., was placed under community control for three years and received credit for two days served in jail for possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing cocaine on March 6, 2022.

— Dale L. Kinney, 46, Chester,W.Va., was placed under community control for two years for possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing cocaine on Feb. 8, 2023.

— Ryan L. Pritt, 43, Lisbon Street, East Liverpool, was sentenced to six months in prison for vandalism, a fifth-degree felony. While incarcerated at the Columbiana County jail on April 6, Pritt allegedly threatened a corrections officer and acted aggressively toward him, damaging a pair of handcuffs and vandalizing the cell in the booking area by using the handcuffs to carve into the wall and door frame. Charges of aggravated menacing and criminal damaging were both dismissed. The prison term was ordered served at the same time as a 12-month sentence he aleady received in May for aggravated assault for an incident last year.

— Brent T. Miller, 40, Old State Route 45, Lisbon, was sentenced to nine months in prison for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on Nov. 25, 2024. A charge of misdemeanor drug paraphernalia was dismissed.

— Joshua A. Hayat, 39, Poland, was ordered to serve nine months in prison for violating the terms of his probation for possession of a fentanyl-related compound and possession of cocaine, both fifth-degree felonies, and misdemeanor engaging in prostitution. He received credit for 56 days served in jail. His participation in drug court was dishonorably terminated. Hayat was accused of responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with a female in exchange for currency and crack cocaine, traveling to East Palestine on May 7, 2024 for the meeting. Hayat allegedly possessed the phone used to make the arrangements, along with fentanyl, cocaine, a crack pipe and hypodermic syringes.