Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a pretrial was set Oct. 20 for Jeffrey N. James, 46, Seventh Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with domestic violence for allegedly shoving a woman into the bath tub causing a cut to her knee along with a bruise on Oct. 6 in Liverpool Township.

A pretrial was set Jan. 7 for Zachary C. Willis, 31, state Route 45, Lisbon, charged with violation of a protection order for allegedly violating a protection order by being near a protected person on Oct. 6 in Lisbon.

Patricia E. Craven, 45, West Martin Street, East Palestine, was fined $350 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for inciting to violence amended from endangering children. She was ordered to complete 40 hours community service and to not file or renew her foster care license. The charge stemmed from an incident of fighting between juveniles in Columbiana, with Craven accused of telling the victim of the fight to quit yelling and allegedly directing the boy who placed the victim in a headlock on Aug. 25, 2024.

A pretrial was set Oct. 20 for Antonio Derek Deleon, 31, Darner Road, Lisbon, charged with assault for allegedly striking a woman several times and attempting to strangle her while he had several items in his hands on Oct. 7 in Elkrun Township.

An assault charge against Joe E. Ramos, 54, 14th Street, Wellsville, was dismissed with costs waived. Ramos was accused of allegedly shoving a woman during an alleged altercation on July 14, 2024 in Elkrun Township.

Ralph R. Hunt, 48, Munroe Falls, was fined $750 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and a prostitution awareness course. Hunt was accused of requesting sexual conduct for an agreed upon price of $140 from an undercover agent and traveling to Salem on May 16 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

A status conference was set Jan. 13 and a court trial was set Jan. 26 for Scotty William Haney, 38, Lee Street, East Liverpool, charged with criminal damaging and menacing for allegedly punching the front door of an East Liverpool property on Pennsylvania Avenue, causing the glass to break on April 26. On April 27, during a traffic stop, he could be heard on speaker phone with the relative who was stopped saying he was going to punch in the face the St. Clair Township police officer who intiated the stop.

A pretrial was set Jan. 7 for Taylor Marie Merriman, 30, Market Street, East Liverpool, charged with menacing by stalking for allegedly walking up to another woman in East Liverpool and telling her she was going to kick her in the leg and make her fall on Oct. 6.

A pretrial was set Jan. 6 for Michael D. Merriman, 41, Haiti Road, Salineville, charged with two counts of menacing for chasing a man through the woods after the victim said the defendant and another person tried to jump him and chased him on Sept. 27 in Salineville.

A pretrial was set Jan. 6 for David C. Bell, 34, James Drive, Wellsville, charged with two counts of menacing for chasing a man through the woods after the victim said the defendant and another person tried to jump him and chased him on Sept. 27 in Salineville.

A sentencing hearing was set Dec. 11 for Stephen William Jones, 36, Youngstown, who pleaded no contest and was found guilty of violation of a protection order and criminal damaging. A charge of menacing by stalking was dismissed. Jones was accused of violating the terms of a protection order on Nov. 27, 2024 by asking two relatives to reach out to the protected person via text message on his behalf and also liking her photos on Instagram and continuing to create additional accounts to keep tabs on her after she blocked him. On Nov. 13, 2024, Jones threw something at another man’s vehicle and attempted to open his car door, hitting the window with his fist.

Ariel L. Durham, 36, Pass Lane, Lisbon, was fined $300 and sentenced to nine days in jail, with credit for nine days served, for criminal mischief, criminal trespass and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia. On Sept. 27, she was found in possession of a burnt metal spoon with tar residue and burn marks during a traffic stop on Sept. 27 in Knox Township. On Sept. 3 in Salem, she trespassed at Speedway and on Aug. 23 in Lisbon, she threw a polar pop on the window of a woman’s Jeep causing her to be unable to see.

Harmony D. Ream, 23, East Chestnut Street, Lisbon, was fined $250 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for theft. She was ordered to complete 40 hours community service and to make restitution to Smith Oil of $7.35. She was ordered to stay away from Smith Oil in Lisbon. Ream stole a small stuffed animal from Smith Oil in Lisbon and left without paying for it on Sept. 28.

Paul Webber, 34, Salineville Road, Salineville, was fined $75 for permit unclean habitation for failing to clean up his Salineville property on Aug. 17.

William Tribelo, 49, Sycamore Street, Salineville, was fined $50 for permit unclean habitation for failing to clean up his Salineville property on Aug. 17.

A pretrial was set Jan. 14 for Rick Beadle, 68, Washington Street, Salineville, charged with two counts of permit unclean sanitation for allegedly failing to clean up two separate properties in Salineville on Aug. 17.

A pretrial was set Nov. 25 for Andrew Clifford Sodergren, 27, Cherry Valley Drive, Leetonia, charged with operating a vehicle impaired first offense, OVI breath first offense and improper/expired registration.

Anna M. Joseph, 64, Center Avenue, Lisbon, was found not guilty of assured clear distance, with costs taxed to the state.

David Allen Russell, 61, Main Street, Wellsville, was fined $75 for speeding.

Tristan A. McKinley, 33, Carey Road, Salem, was fined $150 for an equipment violation amended from assured clear distance.

Christopher Harold Valentine, 29, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $210 for driving under suspension, no valid sticker and loud exhaust.

Charles Gough, 27, Echo Dell Road, East Liverpool, was fined $200 for no driver’s license.

Mackenzie Lynn Branam, 24, state Route 7, Lisbon, was fined $200 for no license.

Colton Nicholas Bratich, 30, Calcutta-Smith Ferry Road, East Liverpool, was fined $150 for speeding.

Kayla Rae Duffield, 37, Blackmore Street, East Liverpool, was fined $1,050 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 177 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for traffic control devices and physical control amended from OVI. Another OVI charge was dismissed. She was ordered to complete 30 hours community service.

A pretrial was set Jan. 12 for Jose Avila Jaime, 30, U.S. Route 30, Minerva, charged with OVI first offense, no valid license and left of center.

A pretrial was set Jan. 5 for Steve T. Anderson, 39, Walnut Street, Washingtonville, charged with driving under suspension.

Nehemiah A. Bennett, 26, Youngstown, was fined $300 and given a suspended 60-day jail term for reckless operation amended from failure to comply and marked lanes. He was ordered to complete 25 hours community service.

Valerie D. Sweeney, 63, East Chestnut Street, Lisbon, was fined $75 for license plate light amended from speeding.

Bernard A. Hoover, 58, Toronto, was fined $30 for a turn signal violation, with a charge of driving under suspension suspended.

Michael W. Schindler, 39, Hermitage, Pa., was fined $50 for speeding.

Grand Jury

LISBON — Zanford Carpenter, also known as Zanford John Clarence Carpenter, 29, Camden Wyoming, Del., was served Friday in San Juan County, New Mexico with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for gross sexual imposition, a fourth-degree felony, for allegedly having sexual contact with a child victim, age 6, from Jan. 24, 2025 to Jan. 26, 2025.

Common Pleas

New Cases

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. unknown heirs, etc. of Edna M. Lipp, Waterford Road, New Waterford, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for West Clark Street, East Palestine property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. John R. Justice, Richardson Avenue, East Palestine, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Richardson Avenue, East Palestine property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Daniel Hanlon, Hollywood, Fla., et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Glasgow Road, Wellsville propert.

Wendy Davis, Creek Road, New Waterford, vs. Kelly L. Davis, address unknown, et al.; damages sought and writ of partition sought to allow plaintiff to purchase defendant’s interest in Creek Road, New Waterford property.

Docket Entries

Friend J. Hoskinson vs. Elizabeth R. Hoskinson; divorce granted.

Glenda Mike vs. Charles P. Webber, et al.; partial dismissal of State Auto Insurance entered.

PHH Mortgage Corporation vs. Jeannette Philo, et al.; foreclosure vacated, case dismissed.

Capital One, N.A. vs. Pennie J. Dailey; $30,549 judgment granted to plaintiff.

U.S. Bank National Association vs. Brandie L. Wade; case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Richard W. Coleman; delinquent property tax foreclosure ordered for West Pine Lake Road, Salem property.

Midfirst Bank vs. Sarah L. Standish, et al.; case dismissed.

Court News

LISBON — A Beloit man was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony.

Steven McGrew, 39, Pine Lake Road, appeared recently in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court to enter the plea and face sentencing for possessing buprenorphine on March 23, 2023.

The prison term was ordered served at the same time as the 30-month sentence he’s already serving for a 2024 case for failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony for a Feb. 24, 2024 incident when he fled from police. His appeal of that conviction was denied, along with a motion for reconsideration. The Ohio Supreme Court also declined to hear the case.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Thomas Milligan, 45, Hubbard, pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony, with sentencing set for Nov. 24. A second count of aggravated possession of drugs will be dismissed. Milligan was accused of possessing methylphenidate on July 4, 2023 in an amount equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk.

— James Anthony Reed, 27, Youngstown, was placed on a treatment plan for three years after pleading guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing psilocybin on June 1, 2024. He received credit for one day served in jail.

— Seaton I. Ruffner, 42, Union Ridge Road, Negley, was placed under community control for three years after pleading guilty to fourth-degree felonies of strangulation and domestic violence and fifth-degree felony vandalism. He received credit for 172 days served in jail. A misdemeanor charge of domestic violence was dismissed. He was accused of choking another man from behind, causing him to not be able to breath for a few moments during a domestic on April 10 in Salem. Ruffner was also accused of damaging the rear window of a police cruiser by kicking it after his arrest.

— Crystal Holloway, 48, Center Avenue, Lisbon, was placed under community control for three years and ordered to serve up to six months at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center in Lisbon for fourth-degree felony trespass and an amended offense of burglary, a third-degree felony instead of the original second-degree felony. Holloway was accused of entering a man’s residence without permission on Jan. 31, 2024 on state Route 164, Lisbon. He was home at the time and told her to leave. Charges also stemmed from alleged trespassing on Jan. 29, 2024.

— Derrick J. Faulkner, 41, Toledo, was placed under community control for three years for nonsupport of dependents, a fifth-degree felony, for failing to pay child support from Dec. 11, 2022 to Dec. 8, 2024.