Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, Douglas G. Pridemore, 56, Main Street, Wellsville, was fined $830 and sentenced to 40 days in jail, with credit for 23 days served, leaving a balance of 17 days still to serve in jail for aggravated menacing, domestic violence, forfeiture and no seat belt. He was accused of threatening two Lifeteam employees and threatening to destroy their ambulance during an incident on Sept. 9 in Wellsville. On May 5 in Elkrun Township, he was accused of grabbing a woman in the back of her neck and throwing a bottle at a different woman.

Randy A. Martin, 39, 10th Street, Wellsville, was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 150 days suspended and credit for 24 days served, leaving a balance of six days to serve in jail for domestic violence. He was ordered to complete 50 hours community service and to have no contact with the victim. Martin was accused of assaulting a woman and shoving her during an argument on Sept. 7 in Wellsville.

Paul K. Joy, 55, Heacock Road, Sebring, was fined $500 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 85 days suspended and credit for five days served, for obstructing official business, menacing and disorderly conduct amended from public indecency expose private parts. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service. Joy was accused of an incident on July 7 on East Fifth Street in Salem when police were called for an assault and found Joy naked from the waste down exposing his private parts to the neighbor who was also outside, according to the police affidavit. He was also yelling and was standing on top of a wheelbarrow with no pants on and ignoring officer commands. The affidavit said he was holding a phone charger block in his right hand and clinching his fists, taking what the officer called a bladed, or side stance, and telling the officer to “step up,” walking toward the officer in an aggressive manner. He resisted when officers were trying to detain him.

Ashley Marie Kerr, 34, Carmel Achor Road, Rogers, was fined $1,550 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 159 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, leaving 18 days still to serve in jail for assault amended from domestic violence, operating a vehicle impaired and a tail light violation. Her driver’s license was suspended for two years, with driving privileges granted. She was ordered to complete 40 hours community service. Kerr was accused of shoving another woman from behind and dumping a drink on her while they were arguing Sept. 14 in Middleton Township. The traffic charges stemmed from a stop on Sept. 1 in East Liverpool.

Michael A. Howell, 47, Youngstown, was fined $400 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with credit for seven days served, leaving a balance of 23 days still to serve in jail for obstructing official business, resisting arrest, drug paraphernalia and driving under suspension. On Sept. 26 in Lisbon, Howell was hiding behind a motorcycle in a garage when police arrived to arrest him on an active warrant. He failed to obey verbal commands at taser point and pulled away when an officer was trying to handcuff him. On Feb. 25, 2024 in Columbiana, he was a passenger during a traffic stop and refused to comply with police commands to stop reaching around, causing an officer to unholster his duty weapon and point it at him. He had to be physically restrained. He also possessed a meth pipe.

Rockie L. Smith Jr., 38, Harvey Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $1075 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 177 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for OVI, driving under suspension and speeding. Smith’s driver’s license was suspended for one year and he was ordered to complete 35 hours community service.

A pretrial was set Jan. 12 for Katrina S. Brenneman, 51, Oliver Street, East Liverpool, charged with OVI second offense, OVI breath second offense, driving under suspension and a turn signal violation.

A pretrial was set Jan. 6 for Christopher Lee Miller, 58, Annesley Road, East Liverpool, charged with no valid license and assured clear distance.

A pretrial was set Jan. 5 for Jordan Paul Williams, 33, Bradshaw Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with driving under suspension.

A pretrial was set Oct. 16 for Cody Dehoff, 36, Beaver Circle, Columbiana, charged with driving under suspension.

Rene Quintero, 45, Massillon, was fined $200 for driving under suspension and right of way.

Angelo T.W. Avery, 34, Broadway, Wellsville, was fined $150 for driving under suspension and failure to control.

Ismael I. Ajanel, 19, East Sixth Street, Salem, was fined $200 for no license and expired plates.

Benjamin G. Mercer, 40, Fairfield School Road, Columbiana, was fined $200 for driving under suspension and expired registration.

Shane C. Corbett, 23, Country Club Lane, Salem, was fined $100 for driving with temporary permit without an eligible driver.

Common Pleas

New Cases

Courtney Morrell, Roller Coaster Road, Lisbon, vs. Brittany Whalen, Brunswick; divorce sought.

Ameris Bank, Costa Mesa, Calif., vs. Envelope I, Inc., c/o Friedman & Rummell Co. LPA. Canfield, and Sharon Pidgeon, Western Reserve Road, Salem; judgment sought for $267,322 allegedly owed for alleged breach of contract and breach of guaranty.

Spectrum Commercial Finance, LLC, Bloomington, Minn., vs. Envelope 1, Inc., c/o Friedman & Rummell Co. LPA. Canfield, and Pidegon Envelope, LLC, c/o Tarry Pidgeon, Salem, et al.; damages sought for 17 alleged causes of action, including $1,102,022 plus costs of $63,228, $375,770 and possession of collateral from Pidgeon Trucking, EI Digital and Envelope I.

Docket Entries

MSR Holdings, LLC vs. Kari B. Miller, et al.; foreclosure judgment vacated, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Ronald Adkins, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Jeremiah Wilson, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Rhonda L. Stoakes, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. estate of Melanie Lamb, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Roger D. Kreps, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Sasi Kaza, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. White Crown Management LTD, et al.; payment plan entered, case stayed.

County Treasurer vs. Melissa Oiler, now known as Melissa Evans, et al.; payment plan entered, case stayed.

JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., vs. Anita Beatty; $18,157 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Joseph Price and Britney Price; dissolution granted.

Court News

LISBON — A Salem man accused of multiple drug counts and fleeing from police on two different occasions was sentenced recently to six years in prison with consecutive terms.

Todd Ritchie, 48, North Ellsworth Avenue, Salem, appeared for sentencing in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for five separate indictments.

He pleaded guilty in August to two counts of failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony, one count of third-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, two counts of fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs and an unclassified misdemeanor of operating a motor vehicle or motorcycle without a valid license.

The sentences included nine months each for the fifth-degree felony drug charges, 12 months for one failure to comply, 24 months for the other failure to comply and 18 months for the third-degree felony drug charge, all to be served consecutively for 72 months, which is six years.

His driver’s license was suspended for five years, he received a mandatory $5,000 fine and a fine of $250.

He was accused of fleeing from a state trooper attempting a traffic stop on May 10 on U.S. Route 62 in Knox Township, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph during the pursuit, which was terminated in Alliance. He was also accused of fleeing from police attempting a traffic stop on July 26 in Salem while he was operating a motorcycle. For the drug charges, he possessed methamphetamine on Sept. 14, 2023, March 14, 2024 and June 17, 2024.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Kira Dunn, 39, Birch Road, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, with credit for 106 days served, for two counts of receiving stolen property, a fifth-degree felony. A complicity in the commission of an offense, a fifth-degree felony, was dismissed. Dunn was accused of helping another person in the theft of catalytic converters on Nov. 23, 2024, then disposing of the catalytic converters belonging to Cassens Transport on Dec. 17, 2024. She was also accused of having a stolen check on May 31, 2025.

— Heidi F. Shouse, 40, Monongahela, Pa., was placed under community control for five years after pleading guilty to theft from a person in a protected class, a third-degree felony, and theft, a fifth-degree felony. A third-degree felony of forgery was dismissed and she was ordered to pay restitution of $11,886. Shouse stole $11,886 from an elderly person from May 12, 2023 to Aug. 23, 2023 and forged numerous checks. From July 1, 2023 to Aug. 31, 2023, she stole $2,738 from Calcutta Health Care.

— Richard T. Wright, 30, St. George Street, East Liverpool, was ordered to serve nine months in prison for violating the terms of his probation for failure to provide notice of change of address, a third-degree felony. He received credit for four days served in jail. Wright failed to notify the sheriff’s office of his change of address on Sept. 14, 2023 for the sex offender registration.

— Tyler Woolmaker, 21, Idaho Avenue, East Liverpool, was ordered to serve 180 days in the county jail for violating the terms of his probation for aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony lesser included offense. Woolmaker had been indicted for felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and misdemeanor assault for showing up at a Halloween party on Oct. 28, 2023 in East Liverpool and striking a woman in the head with a whiskey bottle. The misdemeanor assault had been dismissed. Woolmaker’s community control was dishonorably terminated.

— Rebecca Burton, 47, Moore Street, East Liverpool, was placed under community control and ordered to serve up to six months at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center in Lisbon after pleading guilty to two counts of possession of cocaine and one count of illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor. Burton possessed cocaine and drug paraphernalia on Jan. 18, 2024 and possessed cocaine on March 12, 2023.

— Brianne Marie Flaherty, 30, Birch Road, East Liverpool, was placed into drug court for a period not to exceed five years after pleading guilty to illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility, a third-degree felony, for attempting to take drugs into a detention facility on Oct. 30, 2023.

— Edward Pittman, 42, Youngstown, was placed under community control for three years for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, with credit for 50 days served, for possessing methamphetamine on Aug. 8, 2023.

— Katrina R. Smith, 32, Chaffin Avenue, East Liverpool, was placed under community control for three years and ordered to serve 110 days in jail for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. She received credit for 96 days served, leaving a balance of 14 days still to serve in jail. Smith possessed methamphetamine on June 16, 2024.

— Richard R. Vecchio, 63, state Route 164, Lisbon, was placed under community control for two years and ordered to serve 175 days in the county jail, with credit for 145 days served, leaving a balance of 30 days to still serve in jail for assault, a fourth-degree felony, and misdemeanors of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. He was accused of standing in the middle of North Market Street in Lisbon while intoxicated, approaching vehicles as they slowed down and hitting their windows on Feb. 5. He also resisted arrest and pulled away from officers attempting to take him into custody, kicking an officer in the shin twice while being placed in the cruiser.