Common Pleas

New Cases

Joshua McGuire, Lexington Avenue, Salem, and Hali McGuire, Seacrist Road, Beloit; dissolution sought.

Center Co-Op, Ashland, vs. Stryffeler Farms, LLC and Jeffrey Stryffeler, both Tower Road, Salem; collection sought of alleged $40,093 debt.

Docket Entries

Randy Morrell and Janis Morrell; dissolution granted.

David Osborne and Jessica Osborne; dissolution granted.

County Treasurer vs. Wilkin Ortiz; judgment and sheriff sale vacated, purchase agreement from sale voided.

Court News

LISBON — A Negley woman accused of receiving funds from the Norfolk Southern Assistance Center allegedly by illegal means entered a guilty plea recently in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.

Melissa Blake, 42, Quay Road, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felonies of falsification in a theft offense and grand theft and fifth-degree felony forgery, along with misdemeanor possession of drugs. Sentencing was set for Sept. 13.

Blake was accused of collecting $19,690 from Norfolk Southern for a forged rent deposit and fake rental agreement related to being displaced after the 2023 train crash. She was also accused of making false statements. The time period was listed on the indictment as Feb. 5, 2023 to Aug. 31, 2023. In a separate case, she possessed methamphetamine on Sept. 12, 2022 and pleaded guilty to an amended charge. The original charge was aggravated possession of drugs.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Siobahn Goodwin, 45, Alliance, was ordered to serve 270 days in the county jail, with credit for 169 days served, leaving a balance of 101 days still to serve for violating her probation for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, and misdemeanor possessing drug abuse instruments. Her community control was dishonorably terminated. Goodwin was accused of possessing methamphetamine and a syringe on Aug. 10, 2021.

— Sarah Graham, 21, East Main Street, East Palestine, was sentenced to seven months in prison for fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs and misdemeanor possession of drugs. She received credit for 61 days served in jail. She will also be ordered to forfeit $800 for a forfeiture specification for money from a drug case. Charges of possession of heroin and possession of fentanyl-related compound were dismissed. She had been accused of possessing $800 and a loaded hypodermic syringe that contained methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and xylazine on June 21, 2023 in East Palestine.

— An indictment against Brandon Larry Shields, 29, Spartanburg, S.C., formerly of East Liverpool, was dismissed. The prosecution filed a motion to dismiss the indictment because Shields entered a guilty plea to similar charges in federal court in South Carolina. He had been indicted in Columbiana County in 2021 for allegedly failing to provide his address as required of a registered sex offender, charged with failure to provide notice of change of address and failure to verify address, both fourth-degree felonies. One charge stemmed from the time period Sept. 14, 2020 to Jan. 7, 2021 and the other for verification stemmed from Dec. 5, 2020 to Jan. 7, 2021.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a case against Jessica Jean Morris, 46, Grandview Street, East Liverpool, was bound over to the county grand jury for third-degree felony harassment with a bodily substance for allegedly spitting on the arm of a police officer after being taken into custody and taken to the police station in East Liverpool for being severely intoxicated on Aug. 18 and refusing to get into a police cruiser for a ride home.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Sept. 12 for Marcus Allen Ford, 30, Rigby Street, East Liverpool, charged with fifth-degree felony receiving stolen property and two misdemeanor counts of theft for events on Aug. 19 in East Liverpool when two people reported their vehicles were broken into. One of the victims said her purse was stolen and the debit/credit card was used at Dollar General, Nikki’s Market, Dollar Tree and Mainland Gas station for a total of $111.50. The other victim reported his wallet stolen containing $30 to $40. Ford was allegedly seen on video footage using the woman’s stolen credit card.

Zachary Allen Westover, 25, state Route 154, Lisbon, was fined $500 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for endangering children and assault, amended from domestic violence. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service. On Feb. 25 on Mountz Road, Knox Township, Westover was accused of pulling a woman off of the couch and dragging her by her feet across the floor, then putting an 8-month-old child in his vehicle while intoxicated and starting to drive away.

Neil Robert O’Brien, 50, Steubenville, was fined $1,875 and sentenced to $180 days in jail, with 120 days suspended and credit for one day served, leaving a balance of 59 days to serve in jail for engaging in prostitution, possessing criminal tools, drug paraphernalia, driving under suspension and operating a vehicle impaired. His driver’s license was suspended for one year. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service and a 12-hour education course. O’Brien was accused of responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sex acts with a female with cocaine, arriving in East Palestine on June 1 for the meeting. Found in his possession was suspected cocaine, a rolled up dollar bill he was using to snort the drug and his phone used to make the arrangements. He was also accused of being impaired.

A pretrial was set Dec. 2 for Sean Michael Morris, 56, Cortland, 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 female in exchange for money, traveling to East Palestine on Aug. 2 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Eric Mayfield, 25, Shadylane Drive, East Liverpool, was fined $500 and ordered to serve a total of 75 days in jail for four counts of violating a temporary protection order. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim. He had been accused of sending money to a woman via PayPal which she rejected on Jan. 24. She called St. Clair Township police about him making contact in violation of a protection order against him. He had been accused of violating a temporary protection order for calling the woman several times and messaging her on Jan. 22 and prior to that after being told not to contact her. On July 21, he messaged the woman’s bosses and coworkers several times after being told he wasn’t to contact her place of employment.

Zenobia Johnnie Mae Hawkins, 27, Cleveland, was fined $250 and sentenced to four days in jail, with credit for four days served, for obstructing official business for giving a wrong name during a traffic stop on Feb. 21 in the Calcutta Walmart parking lot when she was asked her name. St. Clair Township police knew her identification due to attempting to serve her with an arrest warrant earlier in the day.

Melody Dawn England, 52, Cleveland, was fined $50 for disorderly conduct for an incident inside PNC Bank in St. Clair Township involving a tug of war or struggle with another person to gain control of a driver’s license on Aug. 19.

Wayne Zeitler, 71, Carter Road, New Waterford, was fined $100 for disorderly conduct, amended from illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia. Zeitler was accused of possessing a plate with white powder residue and a rolled dollar bill with white powder inside it during a traffic stop on Oct. 25, 2023 in Columbiana.

A pretrial was set Dec. 5 for Bud Hull, 44, Purinton Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with disorderly conduct and physical control for allegedly acting disorderly on Aug. 27 in St. Clair Township by being highly intoxicated, blasting music and yelling obscenities out of the window of his apartment, then being in a vehicle blasting music and again yelling obscenities toward the apartment manager and other tenants sitting outside. While in the vehicle, he had the keys in the ignition and the power on with an open beer in the center console.

A pretrial was set Oct. 31 for Joseph Savin Jr., 38, Old Irondale Road, Wellsville, charged with illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a meth pipe while passed out in his vehicle at the BP gas station on state Route 170 in St. Clair Township.

A pretrial was set Oct. 31 for Ronald Melott Sr., 48, Lacroft Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with drug paraphernalia and reasonable control for allegedly possessing a glass pipe he described as a bubble during a traffic crash investigation on Aug 17 in Wayne Township.

A probation violation hearing was set Nov. 26 for Patricia Bingham, 58, Washingtonville Road, Salem, for a theft charge from 2020.

A pretrial was set Dec. 3 for Locke Goodman, 47, Mulberry Street, East Liverpool, charged with return and payment of tax for allegedly failing to file a city income tax return in East Liverpool in 2023 and 2024.

Two counts of failure to file city income tax return were dismissed against Katrina Brenneman, 50, Cleveland Avenue, East Liverpool. She had been accused of failing to file East Liverpool city income tax returns for tax years 2021 and 2022.

A pretrial was set Nov. 26 for Sascha Wachsmann, 52, Canton, charged with operating a vehicle impaired first offense and speeding.

Petra Lynn Montgomery, 27, South Lincoln Avenue, Lisbon, was fined $750 and sentenced to 60 days in jail, with 57 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for reckless operation amended from OVI. Charges of no valid license, speeding and open container were dismissed. Her driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted. She was ordered to complete 20 hours community service.

A pretrial was set Nov. 19 for Luke Maola, 39, state Route 267, East Liverpool, charged with OVI first offense and marked lanes.

A pretrial was set Nov. 26 for Kyle Poyssick, 24, Youngstown, charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle for allegedly using a vehicle without permission on April 16, 2022 and being involved a traffic accident. He was also fined $150 for reckless operation and speeding. He did not receive a fine for possessing marijuana.

A charge of driving under suspension was dismissed against Shawn Binegar, 54, Follansbee, W.Va.

Philip Hamilton, 28, Struthers, was fined $150 for assured clear distance.

A charge of failure to signal was dismissed against Jason Vantilburg, 52, Purinton Avenue, East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set Sept. 3 for John Peuterbaugh, 50, Youngstown, charged with driving under suspension.

William Staton, 54, Canton, was fined $250 for driven under suspension.