Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a case against Eric Jusdin White, 37, Youngstown, was bound over to the county grand jury for sexual battery, a third-degree felony, for allegedly touching a child inappropriately on April 12 in St. Clair Township.

Terry Christopher Adkins, 40, Burford Street, East Liverpool, was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for domestic violence. He was ordered to complete 30 hours community service and told to stay away from the victim. A felony charge of strangulation was dismissed. He was accused of kicking a woman in the stomach, shoving and putting his hands around her throat, calling her a derogatory term on March 6 in East Liverpool.

A court trial was set April 29 for Donte L. Harris, 42, Strongsville, charged with aggravated menacing and telecommunications harassment for allegedly sending threatening texts and videos to a woman in East Liverpool on Oct. 4, 2025, claiming he was going to kill her or hurt her. An affidavit said he allegedly sent her a video of himself manipulating a firearm.

Jeffrey R. Pedersen, 37, Edwards Street, East Liverpool, was fined $250 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 176 days in jail and credit for four days served, for domestic violence. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service and to have no contact with the victim. Pedersen was accused of grabbing a woman by the neck, shoving her to the ground and restraining her by sitting on her on Jan. 25 in East Liverpool.

Lisa Young, 52, Rose Drive, Lisbon, was fined $100 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 27 days suspended and credit for three days served, for disorderly conduct amended from domestic violence. She was ordered to complete 30 hours community service and to have no contact with the alleged child victim. Young was accused of slapping a teen in the face, kicking him in his legs and kicking his butt, then pushing him on the ground where she continued to hit and kick him on Aug. 9, 2025 in Lisbon.

A pretrial was set May 4 for Mason Patchin, 23, North Lincoln Avenue, Salem, charged with menacing for allegedly threatening physical harm to a victim in Salem on April 20.

Tyler Alan Gregory, 29, Cortland, was fined $350 and given a suspended 180-day jail term for engaging in prostitution. A charge of possessing criminal tools was dismissed. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and a prostitution prevention course which was already completed. Gregory was accused of responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for $100, claiming he was paying $100 for a condom but the sex acts were free, then traveling to East Palestine on Feb. 12 for the meeting.

Shane T. Blair, 29, Woodbine Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $250 and given a suspended 180-day jail term for attempted possession of cocaine and possession of a drug abuse instrument. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service. On June 2, 2025 in Leetonia, he possessed a hypodermic syringe and suspected cocaine.

Justin R. Barrett, 41, last known address Sophia Street, East Liverpool, was fined $150 for criminal trespass for trespassing in a Park Avenue, Liverpool property, which is a Columbiana Metropolitan Housing Authority property, on Nov. 12, 2025 during the execution of a search warrant by the Columbiana County Drug Task Force. He had previously been served with a trespass notice prohibiting him from all CMHA properties.

A probation violation hearing was set April 22 for Brandi J. Pasco, 47, Alliance, for a 2025 case for drug paraphernalia and possession of drug abuse instrument.

Cara-Lee Lillian Blystone, 35, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $400 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 175 days suspended, leaving a balance of five days to serve in jail for theft and criminal trespass. She was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and to stay out of Walmart in Columbiana County. Blystone skip scanned 11 items totaling $101 and left without paying at the Calcutta Walmart on Feb. 2.

Brandy W. Smith, 51, Main Street, East Liverpool, was fined $250 and given a suspended 180-day jail term for theft. She was ordered to complete 40 hours community service. She failed to scan and pay for five items totaling $114 at the Calcutta Walmart on April 17, 2025.

A charge of maximum permissible height of weeds against Melissa Taylor Franklin, 47, Anderson Avenue, Wellsville, was dismissed. The charge stemmed from tall grass and weeds on Sept. 24, 2025 at a Garner Avenue, East Liverpool property.

All charges against Kevin Kerr, 45, Moore Avenue, East Liverpool, were dismissed at the request of the city of East Liverpool. The charges against Kerr included one count of abandoned commercial building code and six counts of prohibited acts under the commercial building maintenance and abandoned commercial building codes. The alleged violations were all dated Dec. 6, 2024 related to a building on St. Clair Avenue, East Liverpool.

Elijah Payne Suznevich, 19, Thompson Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $400 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 27 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for operating a vehicle impaired underage, failure to control and disorderly conduct amended from endangering children. His driver’s license was suspended for 180 days, with driving privileges granted. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service. He was impaired at the time he was driving with a juvenile in the vehicle and crashed, with the other person injured.

A pretrial was set June 24 for Robert Peter Gomola Jr., 55, Riverview Street, East Liverpool, charged with operating a vehicle impaired second offense, OVI refusal with prior within 20 years and left of center.

A pretrial was set June 23 for Tara Lynn Montgomery, 25, North Market Street, Lisbon, charged with OVI first offense, OVI breath first offense, driving under suspension and no turn signal.

A pretrial was set June 23 for Daniel W. Morris, 44, McCoy Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with OVI first offense, failure to display valid sticker and littering from vehicle.

A pretrial was set June 24 for Mervin Jones, 79, McSwiggen Road, Salineville, charged with OVI first offense, OVI blood first offense and reasonable control.

Daniel Lee Matz, 47, East Ohio Avenue, Sebring, was fined $565 and sentenced to three days in jail for OVI, with a charge of speeding dismissed. His driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted.

Juan Garcia Anchondo, 26, West Clark Street, East Palestine, was fined $765 and sentenced to 15 days in jail, with credit for one day served, leaving 14 days still to serve for OVI and driving under suspension. His driver’s license was suspended for two years.

Domingo Rodriguez Alicea, 48, Warren, was fined $665 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for merged OVI charges, driving under suspension and marked lanes. His driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service.

A pretrial was set June 24 for Bobbi Jo Ann Wilson, 26, Maple Street, Lisbon, charged with driving under suspension.

Richard E. Kaufman IV, 42, North Ellsworth Avenue, Salem, was fined $250 for failure to reinstate amended from driving under suspension and a turn signal violation.

Sheila R. Crafter, 22, Youngstown, was fined $50 for speeding, with a charge of driving under suspension dismissed.

John Patrick Holbrook, 42, Niles, was fined $150 for driving under suspension and expired registration.

Daniel Shipley, 32, Virginia Avenue, Salem, was fined $50 for driving onto roadway from place other than roadway.

Katarina Nicole Knouff, 31, Youngstown, was fined $150 for lighted lights amended from reasonable control.

Mark A. Thompkins, 57, East Martin Street, East Palestine, was fined $150 for no license amended from driving under suspension.

Andrew Parry, 36, Orchard Grove Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $100 for driving under suspension.

Lindsay Smoot, 41, Fairview Street, East Liverpool, was fined $50 for fictitious plate.

Common Pleas

New Cases

Laura K. Fitch, Old Monroeville Road, Salineville, vs. Michael T. Atkinson, Old Monroeville Road, Salineville; divorce sought.

Donna Dangelo Green, East Rochester Road, East Rochester, vs. Terry Lee Green, East Rochester Road, East Rochester; divorce sought.

Docket Entries

County Treasurer vs. Douglas A. Verzella, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Pineridge Properties LLC, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

Court News

LISBON — A Toledo man accused of possessing cocaine and images of minors in a state of nudity when he arrived for a sex-for-hire meeting last year in East Palestine was sentenced to six months in prison.

Jeremiah J. Loredo, 40, appeared for sentencing in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court recently for fifth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine and two counts illegal use of minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance.

The sentence was six months for each count, but to be served at the same time. He was also designated a Tier I sex offender and will have to register as a sex offender once he’s released from prison. The images of minors in a state of nudity were found on Loredo’s phone when he arrived for the sex-for-hire meeting on Feb. 16, 2025, which is also when he possessed cocaine.

He was already convicted in county Municipal Court of engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for the sex-for-hire incident.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Mary L. Peterson, 58, Darlington Road, Negley, was placed under community control for three years for assault, a fourth-degree felony, for attempting to physically harm a man on March 16, 2025.

— Calvin G. Taylor, 49, Youngstown, was ordered to serve a term at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center until the program is completed and had his treatment plan extended for an additional year for violating the terms of his treatment plan for possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony. He possessed cocaine on April 30, 2022.

— Leroy McEldowney, 46, Hammondsville, was placed under community control for two years after pleading guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. He received credit for three days served in jail. He possessed methamphetamine on May 31, 2024.

— Jessica L. Cross, 44, East Third Street, Salem, was placed under a treatment plan for three years and ordered to serve a term at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center until the program is completed after pleading guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. She received credit for two days served in jail. She possessed methamphetamine on April 10, 2025.

— Adam H. Watkins, 40, Fox Chase Road, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to fifth-degree felony theft, with sentencing set for May 11. He was accused of stealing building materials and tools from East End Lumber in East Liverpool from March 17, 2025 to Nov. 29, 2025.

— Justine M. Bowley, 35, Youngstown, pleaded guilty to three counts of nonsupport of dependents, a fifth-degree felony, with sentencing set for June 12. Bowley failed to pay support from Feb. 26, 2023 to Feb. 23, 2025.