Trending
Court News
LISBON -- A former Leetonia man committed to a mental health facility for the October 2024 attack against a Leetonia police officer and April 2024 attack against a deputy sheriff was recently granted supervised movement off of the facility grounds.
Randy A. May, 48, formerly of Mill Street, remains under continued commitment at Heartland Behavioral Healthcare, but can now leave the facility while under supervision. The entry said Leetonia Police will be notified if he's going to be in Leetonia.
A review of his commitment is set for June 4, 2027 in Common Pleas Court.
May was found not guilty by reason of insanity for two counts of felonious assault and one count of aggravated robbery, all first-degree felonies, for the attack that left Leetonia Patrolman John Hancock injured, using a solid steel rod to beat him and grabbing for his service weapon during the attack.
May was also found not guilty by reason of insanity of fourth-degree felony assault for striking a deputy in his side and then striking him again during an incident in Leetonia when deputies responded for a person having a mental health crisis on April 11, 2024.
Also in Common Pleas Court:
-- Brandon E. Hacker, 33, Maple Street, Lisbon, was sentenced to prison for 18 months after violating the terms of his probation for third-degree felony having weapons under disability and misdemeanors of aggravated menacing and menacing by stalking. His probation was dishonorably terminated. He was accused of going to a woman's apartment in Perry Township and threatening her, saying he had a gun and was going to kill her, threatening to shoot her in the head on June 18, 2025 and making repeated threats from June 12 to June 18, 2025.
-- David Alan Michael Talbott, 35, St. Clair Avenue, East Liverpool, was ordered evaluated for competency and sanity by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio. He's charged with fourth-degree felony receiving stolen property and misdemeanors of theft and possession of drug abuse instrument for allegedly having a woman's stolen vehicle, which was found in the Calcutta Walmart parking lot, and being caught coming out of the store on March 4 with a box of security cameras concealed in his pants valued at $99 that he allegedly stole from the store, having a hypodermic needle in his pocket.
-- Tiffiany L. Franklin, 35, Avondale Street, East Liverpool, was sentenced to six months in prison for fourth-degree felony trespassing and misdemeanor criminal damaging, with credit for two days served. She was accused of trespassing in a residence on Dec. 16, 2025.
-- Jason N. Barnes, 38, Steubenville, was ordered to serve 12 months in prison for violating the terms of his probation for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on March 20, 2025. The sentence is to be served consecutively to the sentence for another drug case for possessing heroin and fentanyl on Jan. 26, 2024.
-- James J. Lippiatt, 37, Washington Street, Salem, was sentenced to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty to fifth-degree felonies of aggravated possession of drugs, possession of a fentanyl-related compound, possession of cocaine and possession of drugs and a third-degree felony of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility, with credit for 98 days served. On Dec. 3, 2024 he possessed methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and xylazine and tried to take drugs into a detention facility. The sentence was ordered served at the same time as his sentences for two other drug cases.
-- Michael L. Marsh, 46, Dover, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, given a mandatory $5,000 fine and credit for 13 days servers for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on May 8, 2025.
-- Daniel Lee Matz, 47, Carole Circle, Salem, was placed under community control for 24 months after pleading guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on Nov. 15, 2025.
-- Van Evans, 20, East Cleveland, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for violating the terms of his probation for tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, with credit for 65 days served in jail. The tampering occurred on June 10, 2025.
--Ronald E. Harper, 38, Park Avenue, East Palestine, was placed under community control for three years, received credit for 33 days already served in jail and was fined $565 after pleading guilty to fourth-degree felony grand theft of a motor vehicle and misdemeanors of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them, and three counts of OVI of a listed controlled substance or a listed metabolite of a controlled substance. Harper stole a 2014 Ford Focus in East Palestine Circle K on Nov. 7, 2024 while impaired, with the indictment listing methamphetamine, amphetamine and marijuana all in his system at the time. He was ordered to pay restitution of $3,750 and his license was suspended for two years.
-- Jessica J. Morris, 48, Anderson Avenue, Wellsville pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony theft from a person in a protected class and fifth-degree felony receiving stolen property, with sentencing set for Oct. 1. There's also a probation violation hearing in a 2024 case against Morris. The theft and receiving stolen property stems from her use of a debit card from Oct. 11, 2025 to Oct. 14, 2025.
-- Lucas M. Andric, 44, Wooster Street, East Liverpool, was placed under community control for three years after pleading guilty to two counts of nonsupport of dependents, a fifth-degree felony, for failing to pay support for two children from Jan. 7, 2024 to Jan. 4, 2026.