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LISBON -- An East Liverpool man accused of causing serious physical harm to a woman last spring received an indefinite sentence of three years to four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to felonious assault.
Robert K. Barrett, 39, West Ninth Street, entered the guilty plea to the second-degree felony in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court. The indefinite sentence means he'll serve a minimum of three years and then the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections could keep him for another year and a half depending on how he behaves behind bars.
A charge of misdemeanor domestic violence was dismissed as part of the plea deal. He received credit for 225 days already served in jail.
Barrett had been charged for battering the face of a woman in East Liverpool, jumping on her, beating her leg with a laptop battery pack, choking her until she lost consciousness and using her personal mace on her between March 19 and March 22. It was also learned that he made past threats to the victim by allegedly putting a knife to her throat and threatening to kill her with a claw hammer.
Also in Common Pleas Court:
-- Richard P. Smith, 36, Riley Avenue, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and fourth-degree felony receiving stolen property for leading deputies and law enforcement on a high-speed chase after fleeing from the county Municipal Court parking lot in a stolen car on July 6. Sentencing was set for Feb. 2.
-- Dennis Quinn, 63, Southeast Boulevard, Salem, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony identity fraud, with sentencing set for Dec. 18. He was originally charged with second-degree felony identity fraud. Quinn was accused of using a female's personal information over a 12-year period from Dec. 5, 2009 to July 21, 2021 with the intent to make himself out to be the female.
-- Thomas Akers, 34, St. George Street, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony attempted tampering with evidence, a lesser offense of third-degree felony tampering with evidence, and misdemeanors of violating a protection order and possessing drug abuse instruments. Sentencing was set for Jan. 26. The misdemeanor charges stem from a traffic stop April 5 in Columbiana when Akers had an active protection order with the passenger of the vehicle. Once at the police station in Columbiana, he was caught with a syringe in his possession.
-- Jeffrey Reynolds, 57, Eric Drive, Lisbon, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs and misdemeanor driving under suspension, with sentencing set for Feb. 5. Another OVI charge was dismissed. Reynolds was charged with OVI from a traffic incident April 10, with a previous felony OVI conviction on his record.
-- Kristopher Simpson, 28, state Route 7, New Waterford, pleaded guilty to charges from two separate cases, including third-degree felony intimidation, fourth-degree felony domestic violence and misdemeanors of resisting arrest, obstructing official business and OVI. Sentencing was set for Jan. 26. Simpson was accused of making threats against a Salem police officer while on the way to the jail after resisting arrest and refusing orders of police during his arrest for traffic charges on May 14 in Salem. The domestic violence charge stemmed from him physically assaulting a pregnant woman on April 10 in Salem.
-- Justin Ginsburg, 42, Twinsburg, was sentenced to nine months in prison for attempted compelling prostitution and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, both fourth-degree felonies. A fifth-degree felony of possessing criminal tools was dismissed. He was deemed a Tier II sex offender with a requirement to register his address with the sheriff's office. As part of an undercover operation of the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, Ginsburg was accused of soliciting numerous acts of sexual conduct from an agent posing as an adult female and a 15-year-old girl and showed up in Salem on West State Street on Feb. 18, 2022 for the meeting.
-- Rebecca Sisco, 35, Pancake Clarkson Road, Rogers, was sentenced to the county jail for 120 days, with credit for 55 days served, leaving a balance of 65 days to serve in jail for violating her probation for aggravated possession of drugs for possessing methamphetamine on Oct. 9, 2021.
-- Michael Berry Jr., 41, New Castle, Pa., was ordered to the county jail for 120 days for violating his probation for aggravated possession of drugs for possessing methamphetamine on Dec. 11, 2020.