Common Pleas

New Cases

Jamie Mash, Lisbon Road, Salem, vs. Bobby Allen Bernstein Jr., Idaho Avenue, Salem, et al.; damages sought for personal injury/negligence claim from 2024 traffic crash.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Raymond Franklin Shahan Jr., Stephen Drive, Minerva, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Stephen Drive, Minerva property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Raymond W. Koch, state Route 644, Salineville, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for state Route 644, Salineville property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Raymond Franklin Shahan Jr., Stephen Drive, Minerva, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Stump Road, Minerva property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Jay Allen Osborne, Bell School Road, East Liverpool, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Bell School Road, East Liverpool property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Brian J. Egli, Coffee School Road, Salem, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Coffee School Road, Salem property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Adam L. Newbold, East Lincoln Way, Lisbon, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for East Lincoln Way, Lisbon property.

Jene-Ann Beaver, South Washington Street, East Palestine, vs. Paul Lee Beaver Jr., Wooster Avenue, East Liverpool; divorce sought.

PennyMac Loan Services LLC, Westlake Village, Calif., vs. Logan Stewart, McKinnon Avenue, East Liverpool, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for McKinnon Avenue, East Liverpool property.

Samantha Mascher, Brushville Road, East Palestine, vs. Jeremy Mascher, Brushville Road, East Palestine; divorce sought.

New American Funding, LLC, Austin, Texas, vs. Brandi Ott, Belmont Avenue, East Liverpool, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.

Onemain Financial Group, LLC, Columbus, vs. William D. Smith Jr., East Fifth Street, Salem; collection sought of alleged $15,923 debt.

Velocity Investments, LLC, Wall, N.J. vs. Rodney Russell, Calcutta Smith Ferry Road, East Liverpool; collection sought of alleged $17,043 debt.

DWJ of Ohio, Ltd., Vine Avenue, Salem, vs. Republic Services, Youngstown; damages sought for alleged claims related to breach of contract, violation of municipal ordinances, negligence, unjust enrichment and numerous other claims related to alleged failure to keep containers on designated pad and obstructing sidewalk and the charging of buyout fees.

Brenda Barker, Moore Street, East Liverpool, vs. Columbiana Metropolitan Housing Authority, Moore Street, East Liverpool, and TK Elevator Corporation, Columbus, et al.; damages sought for personal injury claim related to fall entering elevator at Fawcett Apartments, East Liverpool, in 2024.

Docket Entries

County Treasurer vs. James Laut, et al.; payment plan entered, case stayed.

County Treasurer vs. William Joseph Lara; forfeiture order vacated, case stayed pending completion of payment plan.

Rocket Mortgage LLC vs. James D. Williams, et al.; case stayed.

Huntington National Bank vs. Francis Cerech; $85,804 judgment granted to plaintiff.

County Treasurer vs. Bruce A. Maher, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

Pennymac Loan Services LLC vs. Donnie Michael Mergenthaler, et al.; mortgage foreclosure ordered for Maryland Avenue, Salem property.

Lake Tomahawk Property Owners Association Inc. vs. Scott Ramsey, et al.; First Energy Corp dismissed as defendant.

Capital One, N.A. vs. Anthony J. Rhodes; $3,546 judgment to plaintiff.

County Treasurer vs. Sean L. Rhodes, et al.; payment plan entered, case stayed, taxes for one parcel paid, with that parcel dismissed from complaint.

Jason Weyand, et al. vs. Billie Jo Smith, et al.; case settled and dismissed.

U.S. Bank National Association vs. Tamarah Darlene Luketic, et al.; mortgage foreclosure ordered for West Clark Street, East Palestine property.

American Express National Bank vs. Lillian M. Fath; $5,150 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Bank of New York Mellon vs. Ronald Lee Willis, et al.; case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Renee Shields; delinquent property tax foreclosure ordered for Cornell Avenue, East Liverpool property.

Marriage Licenses

Nicholas B. Miller, 25, Sarahsville, software engineer, and Katelyn N. Chilton, 26, Salem, teacher.

Spencer Biser, 35, Leetonia, packer, and Terri Lynn Earich, 31, Leetonia, unemployed.

Gary A. Schmidt, 67, Columbiana, auto worker, and Martha I. Lamphear, 54, Columbiana, cashier (PSA).

Tony L. Hilton, 45, East Liverpool, unemployed, and Shannon D. Thrasher, 39, East Liverpool, shipper.

Hugo Lopez Herrara, 44, Salem, manager, and Ma Guadalupe Gonzalez Siordia, 42, Salem, housewife.

Jeffrey T. G. Sayer, 31, New Waterford, teledata, and Aysia L. Canterbury, 29, New Waterford, unemployed.

Court News

LISBON — A man accused of trespassing in a woman’s apartment last year entered a guilty plea during a recent hearing in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.

Arthur N. Sherin, 49, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony trespass in a habitation amended from second-degree felony burglary and misdemeanor criminal trespass, with sentencing set for May 21.

A charge of fifth-degree felony theft will be dismissed.

On Aug. 23, 2025, Sherin trespassed in a woman’s apartment in East Liverpool and was accused of stealing her phone and financial cards while she was checking her mail and her juvenile daughter was there. The trespassing also occurred on the property of the Columbiana Metropolitan Housing Authority.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Devontay Bickley, 24, Lisbon Street, East Liverpool, was ordered to spend a term at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center until the program is successfully completed after he was found in violation of the terms of his probation for fifth-degree felony escape, fifth-degree felony harassment with a bodily substance and misdemeanors of menacing and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them-OVI. Bickley resisted arrest and spit saliva into the face of an East Liverpool police officer while being placed into custody for allegedly driving under the influence on Jan. 29, 2024. He also attempted to escape by climbing through the window into the front seat of the cruiser and continuously threatened the officers.

— Benjamin Krueger, 41, New Castle, Pa., was placed on an intervention plan for two years after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing cocaine on March 30, 2025.

— Thomas R. Hilty, 41, Niles, pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, with sentencing set for April 24. Hilty possessed methamphetamine on Sept. 29, 2024.

Grand Jury

LISBON — Shannon M. Johnson, 45, McDonald Street, East Liverpool, was served recently with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for possession of cocaine and aggravated possession of drugs, both fifth-degree felonies, for allegedly possessing cocaine and methamphetamine on Oct. 5, 2025.