Common Pleas

New Cases

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Charles E. Fitch, Old Monroeville Road, Salineville, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Old Monroeville Road, Salineville property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Timothy S. Harris, U.S. Route 62, Salem, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for U.S. Route 62, Salem property.

American Express National Bank, Independence, vs. Sean C. Ely, North Ellsworth Avenue, Salem; collection sought of alleged $8,775 debt.

Derek Smith, Kirk Road, Columbiana, vs. Kristina A. Field, Crestview Road, Columbiana, et al.; damages sought for alleged negligence, negligent entrustment and agency liability related to 2025 traffic crash in Fairfield Township.

Clearview Federal Credit Union, Pittsburgh, Pa., vs Jared S. Churchman, Vale Streets, East Liverpool, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.

Autovest, LLC, Cincinnati, vs. Kristin Nichol McFarland, South Main Street, Beloit; collection sought of alleged $14,895 debt, plus $342 interest and $50 fees.

Bank of America, N.A., Charlotte, N.C. vs. Dennis G. Pike, Spillway Road, Lisbon; collection sought of alleged $22,461 debt.

Docket Entries

County Treasurer vs. Kristal Barnett, now known as Kristal Keyes, et al.; East Liverpool parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. unknown heirs, etc. of William Bowers, et al.; Wellsville parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. unknown heirs, etc. of Sandra L. Neville; East Liverpool parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. unknown heirs, etc. of Edna M. Lipp, et al.; East Palestine parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Mark D. Owen, et al.; East Liverpool parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Mary E. Grady, et al.; East Liverpool parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Shawn Warren; East Liverpool parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

Wilmington Savings Fund Society vs. Richard J. Holt, et al.; case reactivated.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a pretrial was set May 11 for Randall C. Culler, 46, Bell Road, Lisbon, charged with domestic violence for allegedly pushing a woman onto the ground multiple times on Jan. 8 in Elkrun Township.

Brittini Lynn Duris, 34, last known address Pauls Lane, East Liverpool, was fined $350 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 140 days suspended and credit for 11 days served, leaving a balance of 29 days still to serve in jail for domestic violence, amended from a fourth-degree felony to a misdemeanor, for throwing an item at a man and striking his eyelid, causing it to bleed on April 18 in East Liverpool. She was ordered to stay away from the victim and from a store in East Liverpool. She was also ordered to serve 10 days at the same time as the sentence for domestic violence for violating the terms of her probation for a 2024 theft case. She was also fined $350 for a 2025 theft case for stealing items from Dollar Tree in East Liverpool on Nov. 17, 2025.

A case against Kim Scott Weekley, 61, Hilltop Drive, Lisbon, who was charged with failure to verify residence address, a fifth-degree felony, was dismissed since an indictment was already issued by the county Grand Jury for the offense. Weekley was accused of allegedly failing to verify his address for the sex offender registration in February.

A pretrial was set June 30 for Mark Alan Mills, 45, Moore Street, East Liverpool, charged with assault for allegedly picking up a chair and throwing it at another man on April 29 in East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set July 14 for Brandon D. Pritt, 21, Echo Dell Road, East Liverpool, charged with assault for allegedly punching another man in the face and head, pinning him between his car door and body as he was also being punched by someone else on March 8 in Perry Township.

A pretrial was set July 15 for Vincent Anthony Circelli, 46, Broadway Avenue, Wellsville, charged with theft, improper/expired registration and assured clear distance. Circelli was accused of allegedly stealing a staple tool and battery from a man working at a rental property on Feb. 26 and pawning them at a Chester, W.Va. pawn shop

A pretrial was set June 22 for Ariel L. Durham, 37, Duck Creek Road, Salem, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly trespassing on May 1 on the grounds of a Salem property she had been trespassed from previously. Police responded to a call about a prowler and learned she was banging on the door and woke up the whole family, then walked to a neighbors and was using a swing. She was then seen walking around the back of the Salem property.

Vincent A. Rosati, 34, Franklin Avenue, Salem, was fined $250 for animals at large for a loose dog in Salem on April 19. He had been convicted earlier this year for the same charge.

A pretrial was set May 6 for Seraphim Athena Laws, 21, Ohio Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, expired license and speeding for allegedly using another woman’s vehicle without permission and without knowing her on April 27 in East Liverpool. The owner reported the call stolen on April 29 and it was later found impounded by Liverpool Township Police after Laws was stopped for driving without a valid license..

Cody A. Jackson, 34, Spinnaker Drive, Columbiana, was fined $100 for failure to file tax return for failing to file a sales tax return for from July 2025 through February 2026 for Sun on the Run Tanning, state Route 170, East Liverpool.

Five counts of failure to file city income tax against Donna Bishop, 57, Needham Street, East Liverpool, were dismissed by the city of East Liverpool because she satisfied her income tax obligations to the city. She had been accused of failing to file East Liverpool city income tax returns from 2020 through 2024.

A pretrial was set May 11 for Travis R. McKinnon, 48, Chester, W.Va., charged with possession of drug abuse instrument and drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a used syringe and burnt glass tube and cut off red straw with residue during a traffic stop on Sept. 10, 2023 in East Liverpool. He was also fined $330 for loud exhaust, two counts of unauthorized plate and two counts of driving under suspension. He received no fine and costs were waived for a 2021 case of possession of marijuana drug paraphernalia.

A pretrial was set June 30 for Keith Dewayne Shupp, 48, Eighth Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a glass pipe with residue and a clear capsule with green lid containing a white crystal substance on May 1 in St. Clair Township.

A pretrial was set July 15 for John Albert Applegate, 69, Thomas Road, Lisbon, charged with operating a vehicle impaired first offense and OVI breath first offense.

A pretrial was set July 6 for Kevin Lamont Street, 50, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with driving under suspension.

Ashton Michael Sopko, 21, Pulaski, Pa., was fined $150 for speeding.

James Ellsworth Barker, 51, Clark Avenue, Wellsville, was fined $150 for no license.

Brittany Moore, 35, North Pleasant Drive, East Palestine, was fined $150 for driving under suspension.

John Sheridan Joy, 43, Charles Street, East Liverpool, was fined $150 for no license.

Adam David Brooks Jr., 25, St. Clair Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $50 for invalid sticker, with no fine for driving under suspension.

Grand Jury

LISBON — Nicholas L. Wolfe, 46, Eastlake Road, Lisbon, was served Thursday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony, for allegedly possessing methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk on June 16, 2024.

Court News

LISBON — A Salineville man accused of hitting a woman with a metal baseball bat and then threatening her and making jokes on the way to hospital was ordered to serve four to six years in prison for felonious assault and intimidation.

Johnathan David Messenger, 31, West Street, Salineville, appeared for sentencing recently in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for the second-degree felony assault charge and third-degree felony intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness in a criminal case. He must serve at least four years, and could serve a maximum of six years if the state decides to keep him in prison after the four years. A charge of aggravated menacing was dismissed. He received credit for 216 days served in jail. On Sept. 18, 2025 in Salineville, he hit a woman in the back of the head with a metal baseball bat at least three times and in her hand when she raised it to protect herself, then was threatening to kill her if she called police and making jokes about killing her while transporting her to the hospital.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

–Adam J. Hileman, 45, Brackenridge, Pa., was sentenced to 48 months, or four years, in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree felonies of compelling prostitution and failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer and fourth-degree felony attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. He received a term of 36 months for the failure to comply and 12 months each for the other two charges, which were ordered served at the same time, but consecutive to the failure to comply. Charges of felonious assault, a first-degree felony, and misdemeanor engaging in prostitution were dismissed. He was also designated a Tier II sex offender, requiring him to register his information with the sex offender registration. Hileman had been found competent earlier this year to stand trial. On Feb. 1, 2024 in East Palestine, Hileman responded to an undercover ad posted on a known prostitution website of an adult female and a 15-year-old female and arranged for sexual conduct with both females in exchange for money. When Hileman arrived in East Palestine for the meeting, he fled, purposely striking a police officer with his vehicle in an attempt to get away. He then fled into Pennsylvania and engaged in a standoff with authorities until surrendering.

— Tristan A. Apinis, 40, Cleveland Street, Salem, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and given a mandatory fine of $5,000 for a lesser-included offense of aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony (originally a second-degree felony) and a specification for forfeiture of money from a drug case, for possessing $93 and possessing methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk on July 8, 2024. A charge of aggravated trafficking in drugs will be dismissed and he was ordered to forfeit the $93. He received credit for five days served in jail.

— Preston English, 33, Ravine Street, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for fifth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine, possession of a fentanyl-related compound, aggravated possession of drugs and four counts of possession of drugs for possessing cocaine, fentanyl, oxycodone, clonazepam, buprenorphine, alprazolam and xylazine on Nov. 2, 2024. Charges of third-degree felony tampering with evidence and misdemeanor obstructing official business for failing to come out of a house in East Liverpool on Nov. 2, 2024 when police officers had a warrant for his arrest were dismissed. He received credit for 33 days served in jail.

— Donald V. Weyand, 57, Monaca Street, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 365 days in jail, with credit for 229 days served, leaving 136 days still to serve in jail for a lesser-included charge of third-degree felony burglary, originally a second-degree felony, and misdemeanor theft. A criminal damaging charge was dismissed. Weyand was accused of 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, 2025.

— Douglas C. Toothman, 48, East Fourth Street, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 270 days in jail, with credit for 189 days served, leaving 81 days to serve in jail for fourth-degree felony domestic violence for hitting a woman in her face and head area several times in East Liverpool on Oct. 18. The affidavit said the victim was pregnant at the time.

— Loren C. Webb, also known as Cleve, 47, Cleveland, was placed under community control for three years for third-degree felonies of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility and possession of a fentanyl-related compound and fourth-degree felony possession of cocaine for possessing both fentanyl and cocaine in amounts equal or greater than 5 grams but less than 10 grams and trying to take drugs into a detention facility on June 1, 2023.

— Gregory A. Cox, 39, Mechanicstown, was placed under community control for three years for three counts of nonsupport of dependents, a fifth-degree felony, with credit for one day serve, for failing to provide support from July 1, 2023 to June 29, 2025.

— Charles D. Harrison, 29, Boardman Street, New Waterford, was placed on a treatment plan for three years after pleading guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on March 1, 2024.

— Christopher J. Maglione, 32, Steubenville, was placed under community control for three years and ordered to complete a term at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center until the program is complete after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing cocaine on Jan. 12, 2025. He received credit for nine days served in jail.