Common Pleas

NEW CASES

Belinda M. Padurean, Stookesberry Road, Lisbon, and Justin M. Padurean, New Cumberland, W.Va.,; dissolution sought.

Jerry J. Heavener, Youngstown, and Deborah Heavener, Youngstown; dissolution sought.

Selene Finance, LP, Dallas, Texas, vs. Robbin K. Nelson, South Vine Street, Columbiana, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for South Vine Street, Columbiana property.

R.E. Michel Company, LLC, Baltimore, Md., vs. R.C.I Heating LLC, state Route 518, Hanoverton, and Ronald C. Ingledue, Meister Road, Hanoverton; collection sought of alleged $7,950 debt.

Westlake Services, LLC, Los Angeles, Calif., vs. Jason Gardner, Winona Road, Salem; collection sought of alleged $12,503 debt.

DOCKET ENTRIES

Hanmi Bank vs. Envelope I Inc., et al.; stay lifted, case reactivated.

Bank of America N.A. vs. David C. Fusco, et al.; foreclosure vacated, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Kristin Egli, delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Mark A. Smith, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

WesBanco Bank, Inc. vs. Desiree R. Evans; $9,970 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Court News

LISBON — A New Waterford woman accused of threatening to cut another woman and then shooting at her residence two days later was sentenced to prison for at least six years with another year and a half possible.

Rebecca Lynn Simpson, 54, state Route 7, appeared for sentencing recently in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court before Judge Megan Bickerton.

The sentence was an indefinite term of three to four and a half years for felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and an additional three years for the firearm specification for using a weapon. A nine-month term was issued for improperly handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, but ordered served concurrently at the same time as everything else.

That brought the total to six to seven and a half years.

Charges of second-degree felony improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation or a school safety zone, and misdemeanors of using weapons while intoxicated and aggravated menacing will be dismissed.

According to a police affidavit filed in county Municipal Court, Simpson contacted the other woman’s daughter to say she was going to harm her mother with a box cutter style knife on June 12, 2025. On a video sent to the other woman from her daughter, a female called “Becky” could be heard saying she was going to the residence and telling the woman her grandchild was killed so she’ll open the door, then she said she will cut the woman’s forehead with the box cutter style knife, then cut her legs, mouth and cut her tongue out.

The police affidavit for the June 14, 2025 incident in Liverpool Township said that the victim looked out the side window near her front door and saw Simpson standing outside a grey car pointing a gun at the residence in the direction where the victim was standing and then the victim heard gun shots ring out.

Officers found two spent shell casings and one live round in the driveway in the area where the grey car had been parked. One round grazed the wood trim around the top of the porch and struck the brick above the front door where the victim had been standing. The other round went through a lawn chair and struck the brick.

Simpson fled the area, but crashed her vehicle on Sprucevale Road and was taken into custody by St. Clair Township police. A 9 mm handgun was found under the driver’s seat with a live round in the chamber and additional rounds in the magazine.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Taylor Scott Snyder, 35, North Market Street, was ordered to serve a term at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center until the program is successfully completed during sentencing for fourth-degree felony domestic violence and misdemeanor aggravated menacing. He received credit for 180 days served in jail and was placed under community control for three years. A felony charge of strangulation was dismissed. Snyder was accused of beating a woman and saying he was going to kill her on Jan. 29 in East Palestine. The affidavit said he allegedly threw her around like a rag doll, biting her left ear, kicking her in the back of her neck, attempting to gouge her eye out, pulling her earrings out, punching her and putting her in a headlock.

— Marcus Z. Reed, 23, Nittany Drive, Summitville, was ordered to serve 210 days in jail, with credit for 185 days served, leaving a balance of 25 days to serve in jail for violating the terms of his probation for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on Feb. 5, 2024. Once he serves that time, he must serve up to six months at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center for a separate case for pleading guilty to failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony. For that case he was also placed under community control for three years and his license was suspended for 36 months for fleeing from law enforcement on Dec. 6, 2025.

— Jaycent Staats, 42, Massillon, was sentenced to a total of 21 months in prison for two separate cases. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison for third-degree felony illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility, and fifth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine and aggravated possession of drugs, with credit for 19 days served. Staats was accused of possessing cocaine and methamphetamine and trying to take drugs into a detention facility on Feb. 4, 2024. He also entered a guilty plea to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on June 21, 2024 and was sentenced to 9 months in prison, with the term to be served consecutively to the 12-month term, bringing the total time to 21 months.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary hearing was set May 26 for James W. Yacobucci, 55, Canton, charged with fifth-degree felonies of receiving stolen property and possession of drugs for allegedly being in possession of a stolen side-by-side and a plastic baggie with a crystal-like substance identified as methamphetamine on April 11 in East Rochester, West Township.

A pretrial was set July 29 for Brittany Renee Lockhart, 32, Lisbon Street, East Liverpool, charged with domestic violence for allegedly striking a man in the face in East Liverpool on May 21.

A pretrial was set May 27 for Jada Cheri Pack, 40, Erie Street, East Liverpool, charged with aggravated menacing and disorderly conduct for allegedly posting a video on social media threatening to harm another person on May 20, then yelling on a sidewalk and waving a bat in the air, screaming towards the neighbors and causing a disturbance in East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set Aug. 5 for Elizabeth Anne Anchondo, 26, East Main Street, East Palestine, charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly using grossly abusive language when she arrived to pick up her child from the bus at an East Palestine daycare on May 15. The bus driver wouldn’t let her child off of the bus without a teacher present, which is the policy of the school district, so she used the abusive language then with the bus driver and again when the teacher arrived. Children on the bus could hear the abusive language.

A pretrial was set Aug. 5 for Dustin Vaugh McGlumphy, 42, Uniontown, charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for allegedly responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for $140, then traveling to East Palestine on May 20 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

A pretrial was set Aug. 4 for Hunter Scott Farnsworth, 19, Danbury Avenue, Wellsville, charged with underage consumption, open container and disorderly conduct for an incident May 16 in Liverpool Township when his truck was found in a backyard after hitting multiple objects. He was the passenger, with a juvenile driving. Both admitted to being intoxicated with multiple open containers of alcohol present, the affidavit said.

A court trial was set May 27 for Bryan Faust, 20, East Euclid Avenue, Salem, charged with littering for throwing quikcrete into the trash with some going on the ground at a park in Salem on May 11.

A pretrial was set Aug. 4 for Jonathan David Smith, 29, Penn Avenue Extension, East Liverpool, charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs and speeding.

A pretrial was set Aug. 5 for Alyssa Marie Fegert, 39, South Washington Street, East Palestine, charged with two counts OVI and single counts open container and speeding.

A pretrial was set Aug. 3 for Landon Marshall, 35, state Route 39, Salinevillle, charged with OVI first offense.

A pretrial was set Aug. 5 for Robert W. Callahan II, 50 New Garden Road, Salem, charged with OVI second offense and reasonable control.

A pretrial was set July 29 for David Rodney Krebs, 48, Middlefield, charged with OVI first offense and marked lanes.

municipal

A disposition hearing was set May 20 for Kevin Eugene Bowen, 50, Darlington, Pa., charged with OVI second offense, OVI breath second offense and reasonable control.

A pretrial was set June 1 for Pete L. Gibson, 41, state Route 154, Rogers, charged with aggravated menacing for allegedly threatening to shoot another person in the head in New Waterford on May 17.

Steven J. Cappitte, 41, Southeast Boulevard, Salem, was fined $750 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 83 days suspended and credit for two days served, leaving a balance of five days to serve in jail for disorderly conduct and obstructing official business. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service. Cappitte shoved a woman in the face and chased her into the street on Feb. 8 in Salem. During the incident, he kept slamming the door of the home and fled inside when officers approached to take him into custody.

Matthew Christopher Ward, 37, Michigan Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $150 and sentenced to three days in jail, with credit for three days served, for disorderly conduct for throwing a water bottle at a fence and vehicle in East Liverpool, and arguing and yelling at people who were outside on May 15.

George M. McGinness, 48, North Market Street, East Palestine, was fined $250 and given a suspended 60-day jail term for obstructing official business and disorderly conduct. A charge of criminal trespass was dismissed. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and to have no contact with the victim. He trespassed in a New Waterford property and stayed after being told to leave and attempted to open the locked door on April 10.

Jeffrey Nelson James, 46, Seventh Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $650 and sentenced to 30 days in jail for physical control amended from OVI and disorderly conduct amended from domestic violence, with another OVI suspended. His license was suspended for one year. James shoved a woman into a bath tub causing injury on Oct. 6, 2025 in Liverpool Township. He was also ordered to serve 60 days in jail for violating the terms of his probation for 2025 cases of OVI, physical control and disorderly conduct.

Paul Joseph Schrag, 36, Deerfield, was fined $250 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer for fleeing from police during a pursuit after a hit/skip in Salem on Jan. 20. His license was suspended for 180 days, with driving privileges granted, and he was ordered to complete 20 hours community service.

Alyssa D. Evans, 31, Bradshaw Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $400 and given a suspended 180-day jail term for theft and endangering children. On Jan. 10 in Wellsville, she struck a parked car while a child was in the vehicle. On Jan. 6, she pocketed some items and didn’t scan others, all totaling $39 at the Salem Walmart.

A status conference hearing was set July 6 and a court trial was set July 13 for Stephanie J. Igo, 37, Bell Road, Negley, charged with theft for allegedly stealing two weld-pads and multiple battery-power tools from a garage on Jan. 27 in Negley.

Amanda Clara Regal, 39, East Springfield, was fined $100 for failure to file tax return for failing to file a sales tax return in 2025 for The Corner Pocket in Leetonia.

Frankie L. Brown, 37, Vernia Street, East Liverpool, was fined $100 for failure to file tax return for failing to file a sales tax return from July to December 2025 for AFK Gaming in East Liverpool.