Common Pleas

NEW CASES

Lacey Saling, West Main Street, Salineville, and Christopher M. Saling, state Route 45, Wellsville; dissolution sought.

Christina N. Scranton, Austintown, and Levi Scranton, Jimtown Road, East Palestine; dissolution sought.

Rocket Mortgage, LLC, Detroit, Mich., vs. Curtis L. Crank Jr., North Indiana Avenue, Salem, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for North Indiana Avenue, Salem property.

Westlake Services, LLC, Los Angeles, Calif., vs. Jason R. Cusick, Cameron Road, Wellsville, et al.; collection sought of alleged $16,650 debt.

Jennifer Matos, Youngstown, vs. Fresh Mark, Inc., Massillon, and Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Columbus; appeal of claim denial.

U.S. Bank Trust National Association, Coppell, Texas, vs. Elizabeth A. Fromm, East Eighth Street, Salem, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for East Eighth Street, Salem property.

William Kuhn, New Castle, Pa., vs. Gina Hart, Pennsylvania Avenue, East Liverpool, et al.; declaration sought regarding rights to historical water system serving 2255 Pennsylvania Avenue Extension and enforcement of easement rights, along with a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction and permanent injunction related to plaintiff’s water access rights and damages sought.

Allen Sodergren, New Springfield, vs. Teya Metzgar, Walnut Grove Drive, New Waterford, et al.; damages sought for personal injury claim from 2024 traffic crash in Unity Township.

DOCKET ENTRIES

U.S. Bank National Association vs. Gerald L. Lease, et al.; judgment granted to plaintiff, mortgage legal description reformed.

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company vs. Jessica R. Carver, et al.; case stayed due to bankruptcy filing.

Accelerated Inventory Management, LLC vs. Lynette Earl; case stayed due to bankruptcy filing.

Kyle Lykens vs. American Standard, et al.; case settled and dismissed.

William Cunningham vs. Brian Pearl, et al.; case settled and dismissed.

PNC Bank vs. Steven Sedel; $28,818 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Grand Jury

LISBON — A woman accused of stealing money from the Wellsville Youth Baseball League was served recently with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury.

Shanice N. Thompson, 33, St. George Street, East Liverpool, was charged with grand theft, a fourth-degree felony. The indictment alleged that she stole the money from Jan. 29, 2024 to May 28, 2024, with the amount of the property or services stolen ranging in value from $7,500 or more but less than $150,000.

Court News

LISBON — The man accused of secretly taking videos of women and girls last year in the Walmart dressing room and the Planet Fitness locker room, both in Calcutta, lost another attempt to get out of prison early.

Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam recently again denied the motion for judicial release filed on behalf of Shane Lee Wright, 26, Laredo Drive, Negley.

Wright was sentenced in late September 2025 to 10 months in prison for fifth-degree felony voyeurism and misdemeanor possessing criminal tools. According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, he arrived in October and his expected release date isn’t until late July this year.

Washam referred to the entry he wrote in January when he denied Wright’s previous request for judicial release when he pointed out Wright wasn’t sentenced to the maximum or to consecutive terms and the sentence protects the public and punishes the defendant appropriately.

In that entry in January, he also recounted the facts of the case how there were numerous, separate unwitting female victims and Wright used his cell phone to record videos of them in various stages of undress, both in a private department store changing room and the locker room of a fitness facility. He noted what Wright had to go through to get to his vantage point looking down on the locker room.

The latest request for judicial release was filed last month.

Wright was originally charged in August 2024 in county Municipal Court with fifth-degree felony voyeurism and misdemeanors of possessing criminal tools, inducing panic and eight counts of voyeurism.

The victim in the charge for the plea was identified as a 15-year-old who should have had a reasonable expectation of privacy on Aug. 12, 2024 at Walmart in the changing room. The charge said that from Aug. 12, 2024 through Aug. 23, 2024, the day he was caught, Wright did “knowingly commit trespass or otherwise secretly or surreptitiously videotape, film, broadcast, stream or other record” the victim. The criminal tool was his cell phone.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Alexzander C. Jones, 27, North Howard Avenue, Salem, was ordered to serve the remaining 184 days of the 27-month sentence he was given in 2022 for multiple charges related to sexual conduct, providing obscene materials to a juvenile and concealing evidence. He had previously been granted judicial release, but violated the terms of his probation and was sent back to prison. He entered guilty pleas in November 2021 to disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, tampering with evidence, two counts of importuning and two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, all felonies, for incidents involving juveniles ages 13 and 15 last year and this year. The charges stemmed from him engaging in sexual conduct with a 13-year-old from Nov. 1, 2020 through Jan. 12, 2021, soliciting sex from a 15-year-old from Nov. 1, 2020 through Jan 12, 2021, soliciting sex from a 13-year-old on Dec. 7, 2020, sending a naked photo to a 15-year-old on Nov. 24, 2020, and trying to destroy or alter evidence on Jan. 12, 2021.

— William G. Wildman, 52, East Fourth Street, Salem, was sentenced to consecutive terms totaling 36 months or three years for two separate cases, along with receiving two fines of $5,000 each and credit for 122 days served in jail. Charges included two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony, and misdemeanor illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia. Two counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs were dismissed. Wildman possessed methamphetamine on July 4, 2024 and April 12, 2025, along with drug paraphernalia on July 4, 2024.

— Tyler E. Wells, 37, Prospect Street, Salem, was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 150 days suspended, leaving 30 days to serve for misdemeanor domestic violence, a lesser offense from felony domestic violence, and endangering children, a misdemeanor. He was accused of striking a juvenile in the face twice and throwing and breaking the child’s cell phone on May 26, 2025 in Leetonia. He was also placed under community control for two years.

— Kelly I. Harold-Hall, 53, Waterford Road, New Waterford, was placed under an intervention plan for 18 months after pleading guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing amphetamine on March 7, 2024.

— Albert Lynch, 46, Brunswick, was placed under community control for 18 months for fifth-degree felony obstructing official business amended from fourth-degree felony promoting prostitution. Misdemeanor engaging in prostitution was dismissed. Lynch knowingly drove a woman to Salem for a sex for hire arrangement on July 6, 2025.

— David C. Gouge, 50, McKinley Avenue, Lisbon, was placed under community control for 12 months for fourth-degree felonies of theft from a person in a protected class and misuse of credit cards. A fourth-degree felony charge of telecommunications fraud was dismissed. Gouge was accused of misusing a woman’s debit card and stealing money from her from Sept. 30, 2022 to Oct. 24, 2022. The amount stolen was $3,200.

— Brian Dean Tinker, 43. North Jefferson Street, Lisbon, pleaded guilty to failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, a fourth-degree felony, and misdemeanor obstructing official business, with sentencing July 16. Another failure to comply charge will be dismissed. He ran a stop sign at East Pine and North Jefferson in Lisbon, then fled when police attempted a traffic stop, crashing into a house on Jefferson and fleeing from officers on foot on Nov. 3, 2025, finally stopping in the cemetery.

— Brandon S. Myers, 52, Anderson Street, Wellsville, was sentenced to 38 days in jail, with credit for eight days served, leaving 30 days still to serve after pleading guilty to attempted possession of cocaine, a misdemeanor lesser-included offense. The original charge was felony possession of cocaine for possessing cocaine on July 24, 2023.

— Donald R. Quick, 20, Imperial, Pa., was placed on a treatment plan for three years after pleading guilty to fifth-degree felonies of breaking and entering and possessing criminal tools and misdemeanors of theft and criminal damaging for breaking into the former East Liverpool Motor Lodge, known as Central Storage LLC, on Dresden Avenue on Nov. 14, 2025 with three other defendants. A boarded up door was kicked open and entry was made with walkie talkies and flashlights, with multiple items removed and placed in a vehicle and on a trailer. Quick received credit for two days served in jail.

— Thomas R. Hilty, 41, Niles, was placed under community control for 24 months and received credit for 20 days served in jail for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on Sept. 29, 2024.

— Dimitri A. White, 32, Beaver, Pa., was placed under an intervention plan for 18 months after pleading guilty to trafficking in drugs, a fourth-degree felony, with a specification for forfeiture of money from a drug case, and possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. He was ordered to forfeit $250. On Nov. 30, 2017, he attempted to sell marijuana in the vicinity of a school and on Feb. 1, 2017 he possessed cocaine.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, Timothy Franklin Gibbs, 38, College Street, East Liverpool, was fined $150 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 20 days suspended and credit for 10 days served, for disorderly conduct amended from assault, with 20 hours community service ordered. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim. Gibbs struck another man four times in the side of the head on May 9 in East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set July 20 for Heather E Walsh, 40, Youngstown, charged with menacing for allegedly threatening to beat a woman on May 19 in East Liverpool,

Crystal Lee Shreve, 47, Florence Street, East Liverpool, was fined $150 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for menacing, with 20 hours community service ordered. She was ordered to have no contact with the victim. She threatened to beat another woman on Feb. 21 in East Liverpool.

Tammy Joe Manley, 27, Riley Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $200 and received a suspended 180-day jail term for two counts endangering children for having two children out in 35-degree weather wearing only shorts and a shirt with no socks and no jacket in East Liverpool on Nov. 29, 2025.

A pretrial was set July 21 for Richard G. Prendergast, 64, South Lundy Avenue, Salem, charged with public indecency for allegedly pulling his pants down and defecating in the Salem Family Care parking lot on May 4 in Salem.

Timothy R. Noling, 64, Brookdale Avenue, East Palestine, was fined $200 and received credit for jail time served for one day for disorderly conduct for using loud and abusive language with post office employees at the East Palestine Post Office on May 19

Sonya M. Andric, 55, Gaskill Drive, Alliance, was sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating the terms of his probation for 2025 cases of criminal trespass, drug paraphernalia and two cases of theft..

Donna J. May, 39, Sell Road, Lisbon, was fined $350 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for criminal damaging and drug paraphernalia, with 40 hours community service ordered. She hit her head off of a wall and punched a door, damaging both on Feb. 28 in Center Township. She also possessed three clear pipes with burnt crystal residue and clear baggies with a white crystal substance on March 9.

Ryan D. Armstrong, 41, Depot Road, Salem, was fined $100 and sentenced to 10 days in jail for theft for failing to scan and pay for several items totaling $34 on Feb. 16 at the Salem Walmart.

A status conference hearing was set June 17 for Charles Raymond Lewis, 43, Dresden Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with theft and criminal trespass for allegedly stealing wood and tire rings from the former East Liverpool Motor Lodge after trespassing on the Dresden Avenue property.

A status conference hearing was set July 15 and a court trial was set July 22 for David M. Butcher, 53, Woodland Avenue, Salem, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly trespassing in a Salem apartment on Third Street on March 9.

A pretrial was set July 21 for Dana A. Musulin, 43, Taylor Road, Negley, charged with drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a glass pipe with burn marks, a torch lighter, a container with a pink substance and a pink and white rock substance on May 19 in East Palestine.

A pretrial was set July 8 for Logan L. Peters, 19, Spencerville, charged with improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and speeding for allegedly possessing two handguns in his vehicle during a traffic stop on April 25 in Leetonia.

A pretrial was set July 21 for Sherry Diana Long, 42, West Martin Street, East Palestine, charged with operating a vehicle impaired first offense, OVI urine and reasonable control.

Daniel Lee Marriotti, 29, Pancake Clarkson Road, Rogers, was fined $250 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 27 days suspended, leaving three days to serve in jail for reckless operation amended from OVI, with a charge of slow speed dismissed. His license was suspended for two years, with 20 hours community service ordered.

Vincent Syversten, 28, Salem Alliance Road, Salem, was fined $925 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 170 days suspended, leaving 10 days to serve for OVI and failure to control. His license was suspended for two years, with 20 hours community service ordered.