Grand Jury

LISBON — Pershae M. Moreland, 33, last known address South Street, East Palestine, was served Tuesday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury in 2018 for possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, with a forfeiture specification for allegedly possessing THC and $250 on Feb. 1, 2017.

Common Pleas

NEW CASES

Westlake Services, LLC, Los Angeles, Calif., vs. Lori Johnson, West Fifth Street, Salem, et al.; collection sought of alleged $16,092 debt.

Jon E. Kirkbride, Canton, vs. Dynamic Structures Inc., Clearcreek Oilfield Solutions, state Route 7, New Waterford, and Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Columbus; appeal of claim denial.

DOCKET ENTRIES

City of East Palestine vs. Pam McCormick; $4,930 judgment granted to city for unpaid income tax, with payments to be made of $288 per month.

Hanmi Bank vs. Envelope I, Inc., et al.; $221,145 judgment granted to plaintiff against Sharon L. Pidgeon.

County Treasurer vs. Raymond W. Koch, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

Kyle Kowalkowski vs. Clarissa Kowalkowski; divorce granted.

Brenda L. Pidgeon vs. Michael J. Pidgeon; legal separation granted.

Court News

LISBON — A Pennsylvania man who had a developmentally disabled client in the work van he was driving when he showed up in East Palestine for a sex-for-hire meeting last December faced his punishment in court Tuesday.

In Columbiana County Municipal Court, Lamorris Bernard Lowman, 37, Industry, Pa., was fined $500 and given a suspended 180-day jail term for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools, with 20 hours community service and a prostitution prevention course ordered.

According to an affidavit by an agent with the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, Lowman responded to a posted undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for money on Dec. 23, 2025. He arrived at the meeting location in East Palestine and was driving a work van, with a client with mental disabilities in the back of the van. The affidavit said Lowman advised “he was going to leave the man in the vehicle while he was inside the female’s house.” Lowman possessed both money and the phone used to make the arrangements.

Also in county Municipal Court, a preliminary hearing was set June 17 for Austin R. Lemasters, 28, Malone Road, Salineville, charged with third-degree felony burglary for allegedly breaking into a home in Yellow Creek Township on May 10.

A pretrial was set June 22 for Desiree M. Walker, 32, South Washington Street, East Palestine, charged with domestic violence for allegedly physically assaulting a man on June 6 in East Palestine.

Dakota Isaac Densmore, 24, state Route 46, New Waterford, was fined $250 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 170 days suspended and credit for two days served, leaving eight days still to serve in jail for assault, with 20 hours community service ordered. He’s to have no contact with the victim. On March 24 in New Waterford, he physically harmed a woman while trying to take her phone.

Adam M. Archer, 49, Canton, was fined $500 and given a suspended 180-day jail term for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools, with 20 hours community service and a prostitution prevention course ordered. Archer responded to a posted undercover ad on a known prostitution website of two women and while working construction at Crestview Schools arranged on his lunch break to meet the women for sexual activity in exchange of r$120, arriving in East Palestine on Jan. 8 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Nicole M. Polen, 42, Fairfield Avenue, Columbiana, was fined $400 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 29 days suspended and credit for one day served, for two counts of disorderly conduct amended from domestic violence and resisting arrest, with 20 hours community service ordered. Polen pushed a man causing him to fall and cut open his arm on Jan. 27 in Columbiana, then attempted to pull away from officers taking her into custody.

Kayla M. Bake, 31, Canton, was fined $200 and sentenced to five days in jail, with credit for one day served, leaving four days still to serve for theft and criminal trespass for stealing from the Salem Walmart on March 27 after previously being trespassed from the store.

April L. Essary, 33, Weirton, W.Va., was ordered to pay costs and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for theft and obstructing official business, with 40 hours community service ordered. She was ordered to serve 10 days electronically monitored house arrest. She’s to have no contact with Duke & Duchess in Columbiana. She entered Duke & Duchess in Columbiana on April 8, grabbed a bag of Dorito chips, ate some, then shoved the bag down her pants. When confronted, she denied the allegation and claimed to have a colostomy bag. During a pat-down, a police officer found the bag of chips and the defendant admitting to not having a colostomy bag.

Jasmine Griffin, 23, Dilworth Road, East Liverpool, was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 178 days suspended and credit for two days served in jail, for resisting arrest, with 40 hours community service ordered. During an incident on Aug. 2, 2025 in East Liverpool, she refused to follow police commands and resisted, causing an officer to be injured.

A pretrial was set Aug. 4 for Brian Scott Noble, 55, Pauls Lane, East Liverpool, charged with animals running at large for five goats running loose in East Liverpool on May 11.

A pretrial was set Aug. 10 for James M. Fristik, 37, Enon Valley, charged with discarding litter for allegedly dumping several plastic garbage bags of refuse near the recycling bins in East Palestine on May 5, with his name and address on a package in the refuse.

A pretrial was set Aug. 12 for Joshua David Ellison, 43, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with operating a vehicle impaired second offense, operating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and loud exhaust.

— A man accused of pushing a woman in the chest during an incident in January was sentenced in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court to nine months in prison. Johnathon R. Easterday, 36, Aten Avenue, Wellsville, appeared for sentencing Friday on a third-degree felony charge of domestic violence. He received credit for 92 days served in jail.

Earlier this spring, he pleaded guilty to the charge for pushing a woman in the chest, which caused her to fall into a glass box in Wellsville on Jan. 29, with two or more domestic violence convictions on his record.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Eric E. McVicker, 46, Warren, entered a guilty plea to misdemeanors of domestic violence and aggravated menacing, with sentencing set for July 27. A charge of third-degree felony stangulation will be dismissed. McVicker was accused of threatening, hitting and strangling a woman in East Palestine on Aug. 15, 2025.

— Michael Heverly, 41, Depot Road, Salem, was ordered evaluated by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio for current competency at the request of his defense counsel. Heverly had been scheduled for sentencing June 1 when the evaluation was requested and then ordered by Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam. Heverly pleaded guilty in March to charges from two separate incidents in 2024, including three counts of aggravated possession of drugs and two counts possession of drugs, all fifth-degree felonies, third-degree felony having weapons while under disability and specifications for forfeiture of money from a drug case. Charges for possession of a fentanyl-related compound and defacing identification marks of a firearm were expected to be dismissed. On Jan. 31, 2024, he was accused of possessing fentanyl in an amount equal or greater than 10 grams, but less than 20 grams, along with methamphetamine, hydrocodone, alprazolam and $91. He also possessed a gun when he was prohibited from having one due to a previous conviction and identification marks on the gun were defaced. On May 26, 2024, he possessed methamphetamine, buprenorphine and $342. A status hearing/sentencing was set for Aug. 6, pending the outcome of the evaluation.

— Aubrey N. Trayvick, 29, Hofmeiser Road, Petersburg, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, a third-degree felony, and aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, with sentencing set for June 22. A charge of trafficking in cocaine will be dismissed. Trayvick possessed hydrocodone and 10 to 20 grams of cocaine on Feb. 19, 2025.

— Sarah L. Hudson, 38, Youngstown, was sentenced to 130 days in the county jail, with credit for 115 days served, leaving 15 days still to serve for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing lisdexamfetamine on March 15, 2024.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a case against Thomas Richard Clark, 33, Lacroft Avenue, East Liverpool, was bound over to the county grand jury for fourth-degree felony burglary and misdemeanors of menacing by stalking and criminal damaging for allegedly breaking into a woman’s home on May 16 in East Liverpool. He was intoxicated and was seen driving by her residence several times over several hours. After he was there, he punched out the tail light of a vehicle.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set June 15 for Tanika M. Smith, 46, West Fourth Street, East Liverpool, charged with fourth-degree felony assault on a peace officer and misdemeanors of resisting arrest, menacing, disorderly conduct and open container for allegedly using grossly abusive language while intoxicated in Lisbon on June 6 and had an open wine cooler on the property of the First United Methodist Church, then while being taken into custody, she attempted to pull away from police officers, threatened a police officer and was kicking at him several times.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set June 15 for Nicholas A. Potts, 40, Randel Road, Hanoverton, charged with third-degree felony intimidation and misdemeanor aggravated menacing for allegedly leaning over the bar and threatening the manager on May 23, then on June 6, a Salem police officer saw him and placed him into custody and while en route to the jail, Potts allegedly told threatened the officer, saying he would be out in six hours and the officer now had an X on his back.

A pretrial was set Aug. 12 for Robert Allen Endres, 37, Grant Street, Lisbon, charged with two counts of assault for allegedly being involved in a physical altercation with a woman and a juvenile, assaulting both victims and then fleeing on May 10 in Center Township.