Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a case against Ronald Knight, 51, Scotts Mill Road, Rogers, was bound over to the county grand jury for domestic violence, a third-degree felony, for allegedly striking a woman with an open hand several times and spitting on her face on Aug. 26 in Wellsville, with at least three past convictions for domestic violence on his record.

A case against Tyrone M. Davis, 52, 15th Street, Wellsville, was bound over to the county grand jury for third-degree felony domestic violence for allegedly slapping a woman across the face on Aug. 12 in Wellsville.

A case against Luke Reid, 41, Empire, was bound over to the county grand jury for breaking and entering, receiving stolen property and theft, all fifth-degree felonies, for allegedly cutting a hole in the fence at the sewage treatment plant in Salineville, then being seen on video operating a John Deere riding mower owned by the sewage plant, traveling south down to the North Fork of Yellow Creek on Sept. 4. Village police officers received pictures and text messages the defendant allegedly sent to someone admitting he stole the tractor and hid it on the shore of the North Fork of Yellow Creek under some grass and sticks. The damaged stolen lawn mower was located and returned to the sewage plant. A dolly worth $1,500 was also reported missing and when taken into custody, he allegedly admitted to taking the dolly.

A pretrial was set Sept. 22 for Paul Welsh, 80, Black Road, Lisbon, charged with domestic violence for allegedly threatening a woman and telling her to get out of the house in Lisbon on Sept. 10.

Ryan Pritt Jr., 24, North Shady Lane, East Liverpool, was fined $250 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 90 days suspended and credit for 11 days served, leaving a balance of 79 days still to serve in jail for assault. He was also fined an additional $200 and sentenced to an additional 15 days in jail for resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. He was ordered to complete 80 hours community service and to have no contact with the victim. Pritt was accused of punching, kicking and kneeing another man with a co-defendant on Aug. 17 in Rogers. On June 23 in East Liverpool, he was yelling loudly while using profanities and continued to raise his voice after police told him to stop, resisting when he was placed under arrest.

A pretrial was set Dec. 11 for Mohamed Abdiwahab Abdirahman, 29, Columbus, charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for allegedly requesting sexual conduct from an undercover agent for an agreed upon price of $140, then driving to Salem on Aug. 21 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

A sentencing was set Sept. 25 for Christopher Price, 42, Mogadore, who pleaded no contest and was found guilty of theft, falsification and possession of a drug abuse instrument for failing to scan and pay for 14 items totaling $165 at the Calcutta Walmart, giving a false name in an attempt to conceal his identity and possessing a syringe in his pants pocket on Sept. 10 in St. Clair Township. He’s also facing a probation violation hearing on Sept. 25 for a 2024 theft case.

A pretrial was set Sept. 22 for Taylor Foster, 29, Sophia Street, East Liverpool, charged with theft for allegedly stealing two packages of candy and two containers of ice cream from the East Liverpool Giant Eagle on July 20.

A pretrial was set Nov. 6 for Douglas Toothman, 47, East Fourth Street, East Liverpool, charged with possession of drug abuse instrument and criminal trespass for allegedly trespassing in a condemned house on East Fourth Street, East Liverpool on Sept. 9 and possessing a used uncapped hypodermic needle.

A pretrial was set Sept. 29 for David Lee Bradley, 36, Newton Falls, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly trespassing on an East Liverpool property on Jan. 23, 2024 and knocking on the doors after being told by police earlier in the day not to return.

A pretrial was set Sept. 22 for Jason Call, 31, Avondale Street, East Liverpool, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly entering a condemned, boarded up home on Avondale Street, East Liverpool on Sept. 10.

Samantha Deem, 31, Parkersburg, W.Va., was fined $300 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 25 days suspended and credit for two days served, leaving a balance of three days still to serve in jail for drug paraphernalia and criminal trespass. Deem was ordered to complete 30 hours community service and to have no contact with a property on East Fourth Street, East Liverpool. Deem was accused of trespassing in condemned house on East Fourth Street, East Liverpool on Sept. 9 and possessing drug paraphernalia on Sept. 5 in East Liverpool.

Lillian Simms, 24, Darner Road, Lisbon, was ordered to serve 10 days in jail for violating the terms of her probation for a 2024 case of possessing criminal tools and theft for failing to scan and pay for 85 items totaling $722 from the Calcutta Walmart on Oct. 9, 2024, using her purse to conceal some stolen items.

A pretrial was set Sept. 30 for Sherri Salisbury, 61, last known address Canton, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly trespassing on the Smith Oil property in Lisbon on Sept. 10 after being trespass from the business on Aug. 26.

A pretrial was set Dec. 9 for Robert J. Dickson, 46, Malone Road, Salineville, charged with animals running at large related to his pigs escaping from his property and allegedly causing damage to another property on Nov. 8, 2024, with the sheriff’s office receiving three reports of animals at large prior to Nov. 8, 2024 and another on Nov. 9, 2024.

A pretrial was set Dec. 9 for Brittany Demarco, 35, East Lincoln Way, Lisbon, charged with operating a vehicle impaired second offense, OVI-urine/blood/serum/plasma-marijuana, and marked lanes.

Ross Chaplow, 43, Metz Road, Columbiana, was fined $900 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 170 days suspended, leaving a balance of 10 days still to serve in jail for OVI, driving under suspension and a stop sign violation. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and his driver’s license was suspended for two years.

A charge of improper registration against Zachary Davidson, 31, Chester, W.Va., was dismissed.

A charge of driving under suspension against Ashley Potter, 36, Toronto, was dismissed.

A charge of white lights to rear/forward motion against Guy Taylor, 65, Alton Street, East Liverpool, was dismissed.

A pretrial was set Oct. 21 for Cory Blankenship, 39, Ambrose Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with expired license and loud exhaust.

Misty Sue Rice, 45, Empire, was fined $200 for unauthorized plate.

Raina Hrenko, 49, Carbon Hill Road, East Palestine, was fined $80 for expired license and traffic control devices.

David Donaldson, 46, Park Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $60 for speeding and failure to signal.

Grand Jury

LISBON — A Columbiana man accused of putting a gun in a woman’s mouth during a domestic in June was one of 20 defendants issued open indictments by the Columbiana County Grand Jury this week.

Eric Travis, 43, state Route 14, was charged with felonious assault, a second-degree felony with a firearm specification, and misdemeanors of aggravated menacing, using weapons while intoxicated and two counts domestic violence for allegedly pushing a woman to the ground and then pinning her down, putting a 9mm pistol in her mouth during an argument and also discharging three rounds from the 9mm pistol into the floor of the living room on June 27 in Columbiana. The police affidavit said a strong odor of alcohol was coming from the defendant and the 9mm pistol had a discharged shell casing jammed in the slide and two shell casings on the floor, causing damage.

The county grand jury met for two days and reported its findings on Wednesday, issuing the 20 open indictments and 27 secret indictments. Secret indictments are not made public until the defendants are served.

Other open indictments issued included:

— Adam J. Hileman, 44, Brackenridge, Pa., felonious assault, a first-degree felony, third-degree felonies of compelling prostitution and failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, fourth-degree felony attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and misdemeanor engaging in prostitution. On Feb. 1, 2024 in East Palestine, Hileman allegedly responded to an undercover ad posted on a known prostitution website of an adult female and a 15-year-old female and arranged for sexual conduct with both females in exchange for money. When Hileman arrived in East Palestine for the meeting, he fled, purposely striking a police officer with his vehicle in an attempt to get away. He allegedly fled into Pennsylvania at speeds reaching 120 mph and was boxed in by Pennsylvania authorities, then engaged in a standoff with authorities until surrendering.

— John P. Dunlap, 41, Oakland Avenue, East Liverpool, felonious assault, a second-degree felony, fourth-degree felony domestic violence and third-degree felony having weapons while under disability for an incident Feb. 6 in East Liverpool when he allegedly pistol whipped a woman causing injury that required medical treatment.

— Lance Bishop, 19, Walnut Street, Rogers, second-degree felony robbery and misdemeanors of assault and theft for an incident May 23 in Rogers at a garage sale hosted by the victim. Bishop was accused of allegedly grabbing a money pouch from under a woman’s arm, ripping it from her and attempting to leave on a bicycle, then running on foot with the pouch containing $300 and a cell phone. The woman suffered injuries to her arm, leg and belly area and received treatment at a hospital.

— Donald Weyand V, 57, Monaca Street, East Liverpool, second-degree felony burglary and misdemeanor theft and criminal damaging for allegedly stealing a speaker from a residence on Minerva Street in East Liverpool after forcing entry and damaging the rear entry door and frame on July 19.

— Derek Calvin, 35, Canfield, second-degree felony burglary and misdemeanor criminal damaging for allegedly forcing entry into a home in Fairfield Township on March 4, damaging household items, ransacking the home and stealing some items, with his car allegedly stuck in the rear yard and left there.

— Phillip Jackson, 69, Riverview Street, East Liverpool, second-degree felonies of strangulation and felonious assault and misdemeanor domestic violence for allegedly punching a woman in the face, slamming her head against the wall and floor, stomping on her arms and ribs area and strangling her with his hands, causing her to go in and out of consciousness on Aug. 2 in East Liverpool.

— William Kiehl, 66, West Spruce Street, Lisbon, six counts of fourth-degree felony pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person and three counts of fifth-degree felony illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance. According to an affidavit by an agent with the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, Kiehl allegedly downloaded one image of what appeared to be child sexual assault material on April 10, 2024 and when interviewed on July 18, 2025, admitted to uploading the image and that he had obtained other images and child sexual assault material. On July 18, 2025, the task force executed a search warrant at his Lisbon residence and found images stored on a computer which depicted minors in a state of nudity.

— Michael Harrington, 35, Chester Avenue, Wellsville, fourth-degree felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault for allegedly putting his hands around a woman’s throat and putting her in a choke hold on July 13 in Wellsville.

— Tina Gardner, 36, Granite Street, Salem, fourth-degree felony improper handling firearms in a motor vehicle and misdemeanor illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a loaded firearm in her purse during a traffic stop on July 1, along with a clear container with a purple lid with a white crystal like substance.

— Timothy Moore Jr., 28, Ashtabula, third-degree felonies of failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer and tampering with evidence for allegedly fleeing from an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper attempting a traffic stop on Aug. 2 in Elkrun Township, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph before ending on a deadend on Pennsylvania Avenue Extension in East Liverpool.

— Kevin Hupp, 29, Idaho Avenue, East Liverpool, fourth-degree felony strangulation and misdemeanor domestic violence for allegedly grabbing a woman by the throat and choking her on Aug. 10 in East Liverpool.

— Homer Carnes Jr., 46, state Route 154, Lisbon, fourth-degree felonies of domestic violence and endangering children for allegedly assaulting a juvenile by grabbing him by the neck while holding him against a trailer, striking him in the head and throwing him to the ground on July 10 in Lisbon.

— Bradley Cianni, 39, Riverside Avenue, Wellsville, fifth-degree felony vandalism and two counts misdemeanor criminal damaging for allegedly damaging a sink and a mattress while he was an inmate at the county jail on July 16.

— Joseph W. Perez, 43, Youngstown, fourth-degree felony promote prostitution for allegedly having an interest in an enterprise involving a woman to facilitate engagement in sexual activity on July 27 in East Palestine.

— Albert Lynch, 46, Brunswick, fourth-degree felony promoting prostitution and misdemeanor engaging in prostitution for allegedly knowingly driving a woman to Salem for a sex for hire arrangement on July 6.

— Christopher Burns, 41, Glassport, Pa., third-degree felony tampering with evidence and misdemeanors of engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for allegedly responding to an undercover familial ad on a known prostitution website of an adult mother trafficking her daughter and arranging for sexual activity with the daughter for $140, sending $60 of the fee to an undercover account through a Cash App, then arriving in East Palestine for the meeting on Aug. 8. He was found in possession of a phone concealed under a pile of personal belongings in his truck and was prohibited from owning a smart phone as a condition of his probation for a case involving video recording a minor in a state of unity and sexual conduct with a minor, according to an affidavit by an agent of the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force.

— George Faulkner Jr., 38, state Route 14, East Palestine, fourth-degree felonies of receiving stolen property and fraudulent actions concerning a VIN, fifth-degree felony possessing criminal tools and misdemeanor criminal damaging for allegedly possessing a stolen Jeep in Perry Township on July 24. A police affidavit said an officer noticed a recently painted blue Jeep matching a white Jeep that was reported stolen with a Pennsylvania plate parked in front of a Prospect Street, Salem apartment. The officer confirmed the vehicle was stolen and observed the vin to be covered with tape. The keys to the vehicle were allegedly found in the defendant’s pants pocket.

— Donnie Merganthaler, 26, Maryland Avenue, Salem, fifth-degree felony domestic violence and misdemeanor assault for allegedly pushing a pregnant woman multiple times threatening to hit her unless he got the car keys after an argument on Aug. 10 in Perry Township. He also allegedly struck the victim’s relative multiple times when she tried to get between them and then picked her up and slammed her to the ground.

— Tyler Wells, 37, Chestnut Street, Leetonia, fourth-degree felony domestic violence and misdemeanor endangering children for allegedly striking a juvenile in the face twice and throwing and breaking the child’s cell phone on May 26 in Leetonia.