Grand Jury

LISBON — A New Waterford woman accused of threatening to cut a woman on June 12 and then shooting at the woman’s residence with a gun two days later was indicted by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for multiple counts, including felonious assault.

Rebecca Lynn Simpson, 53, state Route 7, was one of 21 people openly indicted this week by the grand jury, which met for two days. The grand jury issued 22 open indictments (one person was indicted twice) and 40 secret indictments. Secret indictments aren’t made public until the defendants are served.

Simpson was charged with second-degree felonies of felonious assault and improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation or a school safety zone, both with firearm specifications, fifth-degree felony improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle and misdemeanors o f using weapons while intoxicated and aggravated menacing.

According to a police affidavit filed in county Municipal Court, Simpson allegedly contacted the woman’s daughter to say she was going to harm her mother with a box cutter style knife. On a video sent to the 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 incident in Liverpool Township said that the woman looked out the side window near her front door and saw Simpson allegedly standing outside the 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. The woman yelled for her stepdaughter to grab the 6-year-old grandchild, who was also near the front door, and fled to the back bedroom for safety where they barricaded themselves into the bedroom and hid in the closet.

Officers found two spent shell casings and one live round in the driveway in the area where the grey car had been parked. They found the spent rounds, with one on the sideway area and one in the ashtray on the front porch. 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 allegedly fled the area, but crashed her vehicle on Sprucevale Road and was taken into custody by St. Clair Township police. An officer located a black 9 mm handgun underneath the driver seat of her vehicle with a live round in the chamber and additional rounds in the magazine.

Other open indictments issued included:

— Anthony Gregory, 38, Plymouth Place, Salem, third-degree felony strangulation, fifth-degree strangulation and misdemeanor assault for allegedly grabbing a woman by the hair, throwing her to the floor, smacking her in the face, kicking her several times and choking her on April 24 in Perry Township.

— Andrew Freed, 19, Hadley Road, East Palestine, two separate indictments, fifth-degree felonies of breaking and entering and possessing criminal tools and misdemeanors of theft and criminal mischief, and fourth-degree felony receiving stolen property and misdemeanors of resisting arrest and obstructing official business. Freed allegedly used a metal object to force the door open to unlawfully gain entry to Tiger Smoke and Vape, North Market Street, East Palestine, on June 15 and remove numerous items from the store shelves before leaving, including THC cartons, Mini Pre Rolls and Torch lighters. He also tampered with a camera. On June 23 in East Palestine, he was allegedly found in possession of a stolen 2003 Chevy Silverado that was stolen from Feezle’s Auto in Enon Valley, Pa. He allegedly fled out of a residence in East Palestine and attempted to get back inside the stolen vehicle and then was tased by a police officer.

— Olivia Redman, 19, state Route 7, Rogers, fifth-degree felony assault and misdemeanor assault for allegedly assaulting another inmate at the Columbiana County jail while she was an inmate, punching the woman on May 2, then striking a corrections officer who intervened, hitting her in the face and kicking her

— Van Evans, 19, East Cleveland, third-degree felony tampering with evidence for allegedly admitting to flushing two bags of drugs down the toilet when the Columbiana County Drug Task Force was executing a search warrant a West Fourth Street apartment in East Liverpool on June 10.

— Nathan Elkins, 26, Midland, Pa., third-degree felony tampering with evidence, fifth-degree felonies of possessing criminal tools, possession of heroin, possession of a fentanyl-related compound, two counts aggravated possession of drugs and two counts possession of drugs and misdemeanor obstructing official business for allegedly concealing narcotics in a partially hollowed out rubberized male private part tied to his leg during a traffic stop in Lisbon on April 19. He allegedly began pulling away when officers were conducting a probable cause search and allegedly possessed heroin, fentanyl,methamphetamine, 6-monoacetylmorphine, xylazine and clonazepam.

— Brett Goughnour, 50, Shadyside, fourth-degree felony assault and misdemeanors of criminal damaging, resisting arrest and menacing for allegedly attempting to assault a police officer while being placed into custody in the parking lot of the Wellsville McDonald’s restaurant on June 7. Police had been called to the lot for a person who appeared intoxicated sitting in his vehicle. He told officers he was intoxicated, then started making threats toward them. When he was taken out of the vehicle, he attempted to elbow an officer, then punched the other officer in the head. He was tased twice during the altercation. During the incident, Goughnour allegedly damaged an officer’s radio.

— Alan Heddleston, 19, Independence Square, Wellsville, third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer for allegedly fleeing from Salem police officers attempting a traffic stop on Oct. 4, 2024.

— Justin Buckel, 33, Dakota Street, East Liverpool, two counts third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer,for allegedly fleeing from police attempting a traffic stop on his motorcycle on July 1 in East Liverpool and for another fleeing incident on June 27.

— Justin Barrett, 40, Sophia Street, East Liverpool, third-degree felonies of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto grounds of a specified governmental facility and two counts complicity in the commission of an offense and fifth-degree felony possessing criminal tools for allegedly conspiring with others to bring drugs into the county jail and aided and abetted others in an attempt to bring drugs into the jail. A police affidavit alleged that he left a package by a sheriff’s cruiser parked outside the downtown courthouse on April 24 in Lisbon. The small package was allegedly intended to be picked up by an inmate at the county jail. A cell phone was allegedly used by Justin Barrett at the time he left the package.

— Brandon E. Hacker, 32, Jimtown Road, East Palestine, third-degree felony having weapons under disability and misdemeanors of aggravated menacing, illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia and menacing by stalking for allegedly 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. He was found with a handgun on his person and had a small baggie with a crystal like substance in his possession. He also made a threat against a relative of the victim. He allegedly made threats to kill the victim multiple times over the past three months. He was prohibited from having a weapon due to a previous felony conviction.

— Austin Lowe, 29, Apple Blossom Trail, Beloit, two counts violating a protection order, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly contacting a protected person through text messaging and social media May 31 and June 5.

— Justin Davis, 40, West Pine Lake Road, Salem, fourth-degree felony strangulation and misdemeanors of domestic violence and endangering children for allegedly choking a juvenile unconscious and smacking her, grabbing her by the throat and smacking her in the face on June 18 in Perry Township.

— Joseph Altenburg, 38, state Route 165, East Palestine, third-degree felony domestic violence and misdemeanors of criminal damaging, domestic violence, aggravated menacing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct for allegedly physically assaulting a woman by grabbing her hair, throwing objects at her, pinning her arm behind her back and pushing her around, also forcefully removing multiple acrylic nails from her fingers on July 4 in Unity Township, also threatening her after being taken into custody, kicking the cruiser door and damaging it and pulling away from officers.

— Jeremiah J. Loredo, 40, Toledo, fifth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine and two counts illegal use of minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance for allegedly having images of minors in a state of nudity on his phone after he arrived for a sex-for-hire meeting in East Palestine on Feb. 16. He also allegedly possessed cocaine.

— Richard Simons, 25, state Route 154, Lisbon, fourth-degree felony failure to provide address for allegedly failing to verify his address on May 26 for the sex offender registration.

— A case against Jesse M. Jackson, 45, Lorain, was transferred back to county Municipal Court for a misdemeanor assault charge issued by the grand jury. He was accused of allegedly choking another man in Lisbon on June 28, shoving the victim through a table and pinning him to the ground after a verbal confrontation over dishes.

Common Pleas

New Cases

Waverly Wilson, Steubenville, and Dwayne Milewski, Moore Avenue, East Liverpool; dissolution sought.

Chadeya Fox, Stratton, and Ryan Fox, Holiday Street, East Liverpool; dissolution sought.

Andrea Cutrone, Colliers, W.Va., vs. Jose Miguel Rodriguez Nieves and Jose M.Rodriguez doing business as JR Tire & Auto Service, both Youngstown, and Susan Liepold, Hickory, Pa.; damages sought for personal injury claim from 2023 traffic crash in Columbiana County.

Linear Mortgage LLC, Sarasota, Fla., vs. Ruby Weymouth, Watterson Avenue, East Liverpool, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Watterson Avenue, East Liverpool property.

Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Greenville, S.C., vs. Jamie Smith, Kron Elle Lane, Beloit, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.

Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati vs. Charlotte Powell, Southeast Boulevard, Salem, et al.; mortgage foreclousure sought for Columbiana County property.

Gregory Dray, Long Church Road, East Liverpool, vs. Nationwide Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Columbus; damages sought for breach of contract claim over denial of insurance claim for 2023 fire loss.

Ford Motor Credit Company LLC, Colorado Springs, Colo. vs. William A. Brown Jr. Forbes Road, Wellsville; collection sought of alleged $14,362 debt.

Docket Entries

Monica Ramser and Clara Ramser; dissolution granted.

Brown Valley Farm LLC, et al. vs. Encino Energy LLC, et al.; case referred to mediation.

CitiBank vs. Donald McGrath, et al.; judgment vacated, case dismissed.

Lakeview Loan Servicing LLV vs. Stephanie Lambert, et al.; judgment vacated, case dismissed.

MidFirst Bank vs. Sarah Standish, et al.; case stayed.

Municipal

LISBON — An East Liverpool man has been fined and jailed for domestic violence.

Don Talbert, 54, Sugar Street, East Liverpool, was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 173 suspended for domestic violence, with a second count of domestic violence dismissed for punching another man and beginning to fight them following a verbal dispute with a third-party before fleeing the scene on June 27 in East Liverpool.

Tracy Douds, 48, Midland Road, Midland, Pennsylvania, $150 and sentenced to 15 days in jail with credit for nine days served for two counts of drug paraphernalia for possessing a cut straw with narcotics residue while the passenger of a vehicle during a traffic stop in Lisbon on April 19, and possessing a cut straw with white residue on April 21 in St. Clair Township.

A pretrial was set Aug. 18 for Zakhira Williams, 26, Main Street, Wellsville, charged with assault and aggravated menacing for allegedly threatening a co-worker with scissors, throwing a drink on her during a verbal altercation, and stating that she would kill her when leaving a business in Wellsville on Nov. 8, 2023.

A pretrial was set Oct. 23 for Timothy Lansky, 33, Robby Lane, Ravenna, charged with engaging in prostitution, possession of criminal tools and driving under suspension for allegedly arranging to meet with an undercover agent with the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force for sexual conduct in exchange for $100 and driving to Salem on a suspended license to do so with the phone used to arrange the criminal act in possession on Aug. 7.

A pretrial was set Oct. 27 for Zavea Green, 21, Ohio Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with engaging in prostitution and possession of criminal tools for allegedly arranging to meet with an undercover agent with the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force for sexual conduct in exchange for $100 in Salem on July 30 and having the cellphone used to arrange the criminal act in their possession.

A pretrial was set Oct. 28 for Shelia Vanmeter, 29, Prospect Street, Salem, charged with receiving stolen property for allegedly having an iPhone stolen from Sandusky, Ohio which she had reasonable cause to believe had been obtained through theft under her seat during a traffic stop in Salem on Aug. 2.

A pretrial was set Oct. 20 for Cameron Warmouth, 18, Nantucket Drive, Austintown, charged with underage drinking, OVI, and a marked lanes violation for allegedly operating a vehicle impaired under the legal drinking age on Aug. 8 in Salem.

Ashley Felger, 35, Echo Dell Road, Rogers, was fined $200 for driving under suspension.

A pretrial was set Nov. 3 for Terrance Solin, 35, Ashli Lane, Columbiana, charged with speeding and OVI.

A pretrial was set Sept. 25 by Scott McCrea, 56, state Route 170, Negley, charged with speeding.

A pretrial was set Sept. 23 for Jenny Carson, 49, High Street, Leetonia, charged with driving while texting.

Court News

LISBON –A Salem man already serving time for another case from February 2024 was sentenced to 18 months in prison for grabbing a woman by the neck and hitting her last November.

Donald C. Fiore, 58, North Ellsworth Avenue, Salem, appeared for sentencing recently in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for third-degree felony domestic violence and fourth-degree felony strangulation. He was accused of grabbing a woman by the neck and squeezing, then striking her, causing a laceration on her lip and red marks to her neck, then throwing her to the ground in Salem on Nov. 28, 2024.

The prison term was ordered served at the same time as the 12-month prison term he received in May for third-degree felony domestic violence for an incident on Feb. 9, 2024.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— John Kolcun, 61, Warren, was sentenced to seven months in prison for attempted tampering with evidence, a fourth-degree felony, along with fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs and misdemeanor illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia. He received credit for 15 days served. Kolcun was accused of trying to hide a meth pipe after being placed under arrest for another charge on June 14 in Columbiana and also possessed methamphetamine.

— Sarah Smith, 37, Park Boulevard, East Liverpool, was ordered to serve up to six months at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center in Lisbon for violating the terms of her intervention plan for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. She possessed methamphetamine on Nov. 25, 2021.

— Tiffany Wooley, 38, East Liverpool Road, East Liverpool, was placed under community control for 18 months for two counts of violating a protection order, a fifth-degree felony, for violating protection orders on May 30, 2024 and on Aug. 5, 2024.

— John Dennis Lanam, 45, 10th Street, Wellsville, pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on April 20, 2024. Sentencing was set for Sept. 22.