Court News

LISBON –A New Waterford woman accused of threatening to cut another woman on June 12 and then shooting at the other woman’s residence with a gun two days later was ordered evaluated by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio for competency and sanity.

Rebecca Lynn Simpson, 54, state Route 7, was indicted earlier this year for 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 of using weapons while intoxicated and aggravated menacing.

A defense attorney for Simpson filed motions for a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and for a competency evaluation. Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton ordered the evaluation.

According to a police affidavit filed in county Municipal Court, Simpson allegedly contacted the other woman’s daughter to say she was going to harm her mother with a box cutter style knife. On a video sent to the other 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 victim looked out the side window near her front door and saw Simpson allegedly standing outside a 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. 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.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— James R. Leonard, 42, Idaho Avenue, Salem, pleaded guilty to four counts of swatting, a fourth-degree felony, and misdemeanor counts of menacing by stalking and telecommunications harassment, with sentencing set for Jan. 5. On Jan. 6, Jan. 7, Jan. 14 and Feb. 7, all in 2024, Leonard reported false or misleading information to law enforcement or emergency personnel which caused an emergency response. From Nov. 22, 2023 to May 1, 2024, he engaged in a pattern of conduct that caused a woman to believe he would cause her physical harm and also harassed a person through telecommunication from Nov. 22, 2023 to May 1, 2024.

— Michael E. Berry Jr., 43, Campbell, pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, with sentencing set for Jan. 16, for possessing methamphetamine on May 3, 2023.

— Devin J. Lodge, 24, Old state Route 558, Salem, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony. The charge was originally felonious assault, a second-degree felony, for knowingly causing serious physical harm at the Columbiana County jail to another inmate, who suffered a fractured jaw and required two stitches after the attack on April 12. The prison term was ordered served at the same time as a nine-month prison term he already received in March for aggravated possession of drugs and with a Stark County case.

— Jontay Johnson, 31, Greentree Place, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for third-degree felony domestic violence, fourth-degree felony strangulation, and misdemeanor obstructing official business for causing harm to a woman and strangling her on Jan. 27, 2025, with at least three previous convictions for domestic violence on his record. On Jan. 28, he obstructing officials and caused harm to a woman. A misdemeanor charge of domestic violence was dismissed. The prison term was ordered served consecutive to the 12-month prison term he received in July for violating his probation for a 2022 case of domestic violence and obstructing official business, with credit for 210 days already served. According to court records, Johnson attempted to harm or harmed a woman on April 5, 2022 and had previous convictions for domestic violence.

— Robert P. Bowyer, 57, Moore Road, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to fifth-degree felonies of vandalism and possession of cocaine and third-degree felony tampering with evidence, with sentencing set for Jan. 8. Bowyer was accused of causing harm to property on June 20 and of possessing cocaine and tampering with evidence on April 23, 2023.

— Raymond E. Brisley, also known as Mitch, 40, Columbus, was placed under community control for three years for three counts of trafficking in drugs, a lesser-included fifth-degree felony (originally a fourth-degree felony), with credit for 44 days served. He was ordered to pay restitution of $540. Brisley trafficked less than 5 grams of cocaine and less than 1 gram of heroin on Dec. 22, 2015 and less than 5 grams of cocaine on Jan. 26, 2016.

Common Pleas

New Cases

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Lloyd P. Clark Jr., Jennings Avenue, Salem; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Jennings Avenue, Salem property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. April Pelley, now known as Allen, Main Street, Wellsville, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Jennings Street and Perry Street, East Liverpool properties.

Cody S. Jackson, Melbourne Avenue, East Liverpool, vs. Sara L. Jackson, Kingsridge Road, East Liverpool; divorce sought.

Tikva 2024, LLC, Titusville, Pa.. vs. Brett a. Michalak, Neeld Road, East Palestine; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.

Docket Entries

American Express National Bank vs. Matthew Kuttler; case transferred to Stark County Common Pleas Court.

Hancock County Savings Bank FSB vs. unknown heirs, etc. of John A. Headland, deceased, et al.; mortgage foreclosure ordered for Columbiana County property.

Onemain Financial Group, LLC vs. Richard A. Sloan; case dismissed.

Logan A. Crawford, et al. vs. Michael K. Burrier; case settled and dismissed.

Marriage Licenses

Liam K. Carver, 24, Wellsville, firefighter/EMT, and Rylee N. Veglia, 23, Wellsville, unemployed.

Austin H. Hanlon, 23, East Liverpool, cashier, and Abigail R. Morris, 23, East Liverpool, unemployed.

Joseph M. Peters, 36, Negley, oil/gas, and Kaitlyn N. Hall, 34, Negley, medical assistant.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a pretrial was set Jan. 20 for Robert Leon Gailey, 51, New Cumberland, W.Va., charged with assault for allegedly throwing a broken glass cake holder at a woman and pulling her hair, with the victim suffering a cut to her arm on June 19 in East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set Nov. 3 for Ayden E. Moore, 19, Franklin Street, Salem, charged with domestic violence for allegedly physically harming a woman after entering a Salem home on Oct. 25 by allegedly slapping her across the face multiple times, wrapping his hands around her neck and shoving her to the ground.

A pretrial was set Nov. 3 for James McLaughlin, 18, Pennsylvania Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with two counts of aggravated menacing for allegedly threatening to kill two people while holding what was described as a small sword in his hands on Oct. 27 on Pennsylvania Avenue, East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set Nov. 3 for Justina M. DeSarro, 35, Curry Street, East Liverpool, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly trespassing at a residence on Cannons Mill Road, St. Clair Township on April 23.

A pretrial was set Feb. 2 for Lillian A. Simms, 25, Prospect Street, Salem, charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct for allegedly trespassing at an apartment on Prospect Street, Perry Township, and yelling, breaking and throwing items on Aug. 19. Police had been there four different times for her failing to stop after being told to stop. The case had been sent to the county grand jury previously for a felony charge and was sent back to county Municipal Court since both charges issued by the grand jury were misdemeanors.

Robert Matyi, 36, Williams Street, Beloit, was fined $100 for storage of tires on a property in East Liverpool in March. Charges of property maintenance and litter were dismissed at the city of East Liverpool’s request because Matyi no longer owned the property on Dodge Street, East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set Jan. 28 for Jennifer Lynn Rudolph, 44, Bethel Park, Pa., charged with operating a vehicle impaired first offense.

A status conference hearing was set Nov. 18 and a court trial was set Nov. 25 for Gabino Ascencio Jaimes, 35, Main Street, Columbiana, charged with OVI first offense and speeding.

A charge of improper/expired registration against Benjamin Rivera, 27, Cleveland, was dismissed, with costs taxed to the defendant.

Nikeeta M. Clinton, 38, Holliday Street, East Liverpool, was fined $100 for driving under suspension.

Ta Karra Clinton, 20, Holliday Street, East Liverpool, was fined $100 for driving under suspension.

Gary D. Rich, 67, Smith Road, Negley, was fined $50 for speeding.

Samara Marie Brooks, 29, Vienna, was fined $50 for speeding.

Grand Jury

LISBON — James M. Bonar Jr., 42, Steubenville, was served Monday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for nonsupport of dependents, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly failing to pay child support for one child from June 6, 2021 to May 4, 2023.