Common Pleas

New Cases

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. William J. Whan Jr., Angola, Ind.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Lyon Avenue, East Palestine property.

Bradley T. Green, Milbourne Avenue, East Liverpool, and Melanie K. Green, New Cumberland, W.Va.; dissolution sought.

JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Wilmington, Del., vs Georgianna L. Prince Long, Township Line Road, Wellsville; collection sought of alleged $23,750 debt.

ABL Wholesale Distribution Inc., state Route 14, Columbiana, vs. Elias Diab Tayeh, Rocky River, and ET Retail LLC, doing business as 1024 Drive Thru, Akron; collection sought of alleged $52,539 debt.

American Express National Bank, Independence, vs. Joseph Lacy, state Route 517, Lisbon; collection sought of alleged $5,236 debt.

Huntington National Bank, Columbus, vs. Alexander Hawk, Yeager Road, Negley, and Edna Stanley, Walnut Street, Rogers; collection sought of alleged $14,530 debt.

Docket Entries

American Homeowner Preservation vs. Jonathan E. Spiker, et al.; writ of possession order in favor of plaintiff.

Elks One, Inc., doing business as Sleepy Hollow Golf Club, et al., vs. Merchants Preferred Insurance Company, et al.; case settled and dismissed.

Altigen Omega, LLC, et al. vs. Aravak Energy, LLC, et al.; case stayed due to bankruptcy filing by Aravak Energy, LLC.

U.S. Bank National Association vs. Nathan A. Boyd; $9,872 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Court News

LISBON — A judge granted a defense motion for an Eastern Ohio Correction Center evaluation for James W. Watt, the retired Lisbon science teacher who entered guilty pleas in October to 45 felony counts related to his possession of multiple images of minors engaged in sexual acts.

Watt, 69, Fairfield School Road, Columbiana, remains scheduled for sentencing at 10 a.m. Jan. 9 in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court before Judge Megan Bickerton.

County Assistant Prosecutor Steve Yacovone said during the plea hearing that he’ll be recommending a total sentence of 25 years in prison, along with Watt’s designation as a Tier II sex offender requiring him to register as a sex offender for at least 25 years after his release. He noted the defense will likely ask for a lesser sentence or community control.

Watt entered guilty pleas to 30 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, a fourth-degree felony, and 15 counts of illegal use of minor or impaired person in a nudity-oriented material or performance, a fifth-degree felony.

As part of the plea deal, another 30 counts of fourth-degree felony pandering obscenity will be dismissed.

Watt is represented by the defense team of Bruce Williams, Daniel Misiewicz and Christine Falconer. He remains free after posting a bond of $50,000 cash or surety following his arrest. The date of the possession of the images occurred on Oct. 22, 2024, according to the indictment.

Also in Common Pleas Court

— Aiden C. Booth, 21, Center Street, East Liverpool, was ordered evaluated by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio for competency and sanity, with a status hearing set for Jan. 12. Booth was indicted earlier this fall for 41 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, a fourth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing images of child pornography on May 6.

— Olivia Redman, 20, state Route 7, Rogers, pleaded guilty to fifth-degree felony assault and misdemeanor assault from one case and third-degree felony burglary from another case, with sentencing set for Dec. 15. Redman was accused of 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. The burglary charge involved Redman trespassing in an occupied structure in East Liverpool on Nov. 22, 2024 with the purpose to commit theft.

— Raymel M. Harris, 35, Cleveland, was sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to having weapons under disability and possession of drugs, both third-degree felonies, and misdemeanor possession of a defaced firearm. The sentence was ordered served at the same time as the prison sentence he’s been serving since 2021 out of Cuyahoga County for charges of felonious assault and having weapons while under disability. According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, his release date isn’t until 2029. In Columbiana County, he was accused of possessing cocaine and having a .45-caliber pistol with the serial number ground off on Dec. 8, 2016. He was prohibited from having a weapon due to a previous conviction.

— David Kane, 40, West Ninth Street, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to attempted illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility, a fourth-degree felony, and aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, with sentencing set for Dec. 10. Kane possessed methamphetamine and attempted to take drugs into a detention facility on March 20, 2023.

— Jakob Hendricks, 36, Cherry Street, Washingtonville, pleaded guilty to fifth-degree felony theft and fourth-degree felony telecommunications fraud, with sentencing set for Jan. 30. He was accused of stealing $6,045 from Natural Solutions on Oct. 31, 2023.

— Norman Sleper, also known as Darrell, 58, Ravine Street, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, with a specification for forfeiture of money from a drug case, for possessing methamphetamine and $405 on March 10, 2024. Sentencing was set for Jan. 9.

— David M. Adams, 47, Graner Avenue, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs, a third-degree felony, with sentencing set for Jan. 30. Adams was accused of trafficking methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk on Sept. 7, 2023 and Sept. 14, 2023.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, two of the four people charged with multiple counts related to a break-in at the former East Liverpool Motor Lodge last week were ordered to serve 20 days in jail.

Michael J. Selester, 28, Chester, W.Va., was fined $1,250 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 150 days suspended and credit for 10 days served, leaving the balance of 20 days still to serve, for misdemeanor attempted breaking and entering amended from fifth-degree felony breaking and entering, and misdemeanors of theft, endangering children, possessing criminal tools and criminal damaging.

Connar M. Macosko, 22, Chester, W.Va., was fined $950 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 150 days suspended and credit for 10 days served, leaving the balance of 20 days still to serve, for misdemeanor attempted breaking and entering amended from fifth-degree felony breaking and entering, and misdemeanors of theft, possessing criminal tools and criminal damaging.

Both Selester and Macosko were ordered to complete 20 hours community service and to stay away from the former Motor Lodge property on Dresden Avenue, East Liverpool.

The endangering children charge against Selester was for having two children in the building during the break-in. Two other defendants in the case, Donald R. Quick, 20, Imperial, Pa., and Chyane Renae Brickner, 27, Chester, W.Va. will face hearings on Dec. 15.

According to an East Liverpool police officer affidavit, police arrived on the scene and located a vehicle with a trailer on the south side of the Dresden Avenue building and heard multiple banging sounds coming from inside the building. Police surrounded the building and observed someone from inside attempting to kick open a boarded-up door on the north side of the building.

The Columbiana County Special Response Team arrived and made entry, finding the four adults and two children.

According to the affidavit, they entered the building with a walkie talkie and flashlight with the intent to take items without consent and cause damage to the property. They broke plates and were banging on items in the building and contributed to the theft of multiple items from the building which were placed in the vehicle and on the trailer.

Also in Municipal Court, former Liverpool Township police chief Jayson Jackson, 52, whose address was listed in Liverpool Township, was fined $300 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for criminal damaging for slashing a woman’s tires on Sept. 2. He was ordered to complete 30 hours community service and to have no contact with the victim. He had been sentenced to 19 days in jail for assault amended from domestic violence for a 2024 domestic incident involving the same victim.

Cases against David Sinclair Durbin, 51, Duke Road, East Liverpool, were bound over to the county grand jury for third-degree felony having weapons while under disability and misdemeanor obstructing official business for allegedly refusing to open the door when East Liverpool police officers assisted the city housing department in executing a search warrant at his residence, holding the door shut and holding the door handle to delay officers making forced entry on Nov. 19. Once officers made entry, a loaded .22-caliber handgun was found in the bedroom in plain view. Durbin was prohibited from having a weapon due to a drug indictment.

Cases against Ronnie L. Jackson, 68, Rose Drive, Lisbon, were bound over to the county grand jury for third-degree felony strangulation and misdemeanor domestic violence for allegedly choking a woman and throwing her to the ground on Nov. 20 in Center Township. The affidavit said the victim, in fear for her life, kicked him and ran away to call 911.

Enoch O. Hamilton, 49, Alliance, was fined $750 and given a suspended 180-day jail term for two counts of possessing criminal tools, with one amended from engaging in prostitution. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service and a prostitution prevention course. Hamilton was accused of requesting sexual conduct from an undercover agent for an agreed upon price of $120, then driving to Salem on May 8 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Jena Marie Smith, 36, Midland, Pa., was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 173 days suspended, leaving a balance of seven days to serve in jail for assault. She was ordered to complete 30 hours community service and to have no contact with the victim. Smith shoved another woman to the ground, causing her to hit the back of her head on the brick roadway and struck her in the face and kicked her legs.

A pretrial was set Dec. 8 for Kyle J. Gatrell, 31, Staunton Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with aggravated menacing and assault for allegedly threatening to kill a woman and her family by getting his rifle and shooting up the house, and pushing her to the ground and hitting her in the eye on Nov. 24 in St. Clair Township.

A pretrial was set Dec. 8 for Aaron M. Short, 18, Pennsylvania Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with aggravated menacing for allegedly sending several threatening messages to another man in East Liverpool on Nov. 19.

A pretrial was set Dec. 11 for Pamela S. Risbeck, 50, Trinity Church Road, Salem, charged with theft for allegedly failing to scan and pay for 10 items totaling $57 at the Dollar General in Hanoverton on Oct. 31, 2022. She’s also facing a probation violation hearing on Dec. 11 for a 2021 OVI case. An arraignment is set Nov. 28 against Risbeck for charges of theft, possession of drug abuse instrument and possessing criminal tools for allegedly stealing 15 items totaling $26 at the Calcutta Walmart on Nov. 24, with items placed in her purse. She also possessed a syringe with red liquid inside.

A pretrial was set Dec. 8 for Natalie Nicole Buzzard, 53, Bloomfield Drive, East Liverpool, charged with theft and possessing criminal tools for allegedly grabbing empty bags at the self checkout at the Calcutta Walmart, then placing 29 items worth 146 in the bags away from the register and leaving without paying on Nov. 24.