Court News

LISBON — A Lisbon man accused of pushing a corrections officer at the Columbiana County jail last year was sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to assault, a fifth-degree felony.

Donovain M. Casey, 20, Roller Coaster Road, entered the plea in county Common Pleas Court recently. He was charged with pushing the corrections officer while he was an inmate at the county jail on April 23, 2025.

The nine-month prison term was ordered served consecutive to the sentence of two years six months he’s already serving for violating the terms of his probation for charges of second-degree felony robbery and fifth-degree felonies of theft and aggravated possession of drugs. For the robbery case, he received credit for 270 days served. He received credit for 39 days served for the drug case.

The total prison time for all the cases totals three years three months.

For the robbery and theft, Casey was accused of approaching a juvenile with a knife and stealing the victim’s cell phone before fleeing the area on foot on Oct. 29, 2024 in Salem. The drug charge was for possessing methamphetamine on Nov. 4, 2024.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Hunter T. Congrove, 22, state Route 45, Lisbon, was sentenced to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts fourth-degree felony assault and misdemeanors of aggravated menacing, obstructing official business and resisting arrest. He received credit for 269 days already served in jail. He was accused of biting a police officer, attempting to grab his taser and kicking another police officer in the face during a physical altercation while they were trying to take him into custody for an incident in St. Clair Township on July 26, 2024. An affidavit said he started to resist and got into the altercation with police, who took him to the ground and tased him during the scuffle. He also gave several fake names and lied about his identity.

— Tina Gardner, 36, Granite Street, Salem, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony improper handling firearms in a motor vehicle, third-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs and misdemeanor illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, with sentencing set for April 16. Gardner was accused of possessing a loaded firearm in her purse during a traffic stop on July 1, 2025 along with a clear container with a purple lid with a white crystal like substance and methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk.

— Jeremiah J. Loredo, 40, Toledo, pleaded guilty to fifth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine and two counts illegal use of minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance, with sentencing set for April 20. He was accused of having images of minors in a state of nudity on his phone after he arrived for a sex-for-hire meeting in East Palestine on Feb. 16, 2025. He also possessed cocaine.

— Gloria Lykens, 35, Walnut Street, Rogers, pleaded guilty to two counts of nonsupport of dependents, a fifth-degree felony, for failing to pay child support for two children from July 2, 2023 to June 29, 2025. She was placed under community control for three years and ordered to serve 42 days in the county jail, and given credit for 38 days already served, leaving four days to serve which have been completed.

Grand Jury

LISBON — An East Liverpool man was served recently with a secret indictment related to the discovery of a pipe bomb and gun during the execution of a search warrant last year at a residence that has since been boarded up.

Justin R. Barrett, 41, whose last known address was listed as the Sophia Street, East Liverpool property where the search took place, was charged with two counts of having weapons while under disability, a third-degree felony, and unlawful possession of a dangerous ordnance, a fifth-degree felony. According to the indictment, Barrett allegedly possessed an explosive device on Feb. 12, 2025 and was prohibited from having any weapons due to a previous drug conviction.

According to a previous published report, the pipe bomb was found when the Columbiana County Drug Task Force executed the search warrant at the Sophia Street property, also finding a gun, miscellaneous drugs and drug paraphernalia. The city of East Liverpool filed court action to have the home boarded up as a nuisance property, which was successful.

Also served with secret indictments were:

— Josiah P. Dawson, 25, Youngstown, fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs and misdemeanor illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia on April 18, 2025.

— Carter D. Hollinger, 24, Enon Valley, Pa., aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing methamphetamine on April 10, 2025.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a case against Charles A. Slocum Jr., 34, Brookfield Avenue, Lisbon, was bound over to the county grand jury for failure to verify residence address, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly failing to update his current address with the sex offender registration as of Feb. 3. Slocum was fined $1,125 and sentenced to 50 days in jail for operating a vehicle impaired and failure to display valid sticker, along with violating the terms of his probation for a 2024 case involving charges of menacing, assault and resisting arrest.

A pretrial was set March 2 for Arley J. Yerkey, 29, Oak Street, Leetonia, charged with domestic violence for allegedly striking a woman in the face with his elbow during an argument at his Leetonia residence on Feb. 15.

Lance J. Bishop, 20, Glasgow Road, Lisbon, was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 158 days suspended and credit for 22 days served, for domestic violence. He was ordered to complete 60 hours community service and to have no contact with the victim. He was accused of kicking a woman during an argument multiple times in the head, face and body on Jan. 27 in Rogers.

Romelo Ka Ron Harrison, 18, McCoy Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $700 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 160 days suspended and credit for 18 days served, leaving two day still to serve in jail for assault amended from domestic violence, obstructing official business and resisting arrest. He was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. Harrison was accused of spitting in a relative’s face, breaking a window at the relative’s residence with a hammer and threatening to assault him before fleeing on foot on Jan. 28 in St. Clair Township. When police found him, he began walking backwards and wouldn’t follow the orders of officers, then fled on foot when told he was under arrest.

Ashley Elizabeth Geer, 28, Plymouth Street, Hanoverton, was fined $200 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for assault amended from domestic violence. She was also ordered to participate in SCRAM, which is secure continuous remote alcohol monitoring, for 60 days. She was also ordered to complete 80 hours community service. Geer was accused of kicking and striking a man after allegedly drinking all night on Feb. 4 in Hanoverton and also punched another woman in the eye.

Michael A. Hayes, 27, West Ninth Street, East Liverpool, was fined $200 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 27 days suspended and credit for three days served, for disorderly conduct amended from domestic violence. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service and have no contact with the victim. He was accused of threatening to hit a relative during an incident on Feb. 4 in East Liverpool.

Camren M. Sisco, 20, Pancake Clarkson Road, Rogers, was fined $200 and sentenced to 90 days in jail for aggravated menacing for threatening a juvenile at a bus stop near the Rogers Food and Fuel on Dec. 9, 2025, threatening to shoot him and reaching into a bookbag insinuating that he had a gun, according to the affidavit.

Michael J. Miller, 45, West Third Street, Salem, was ordered to serve 17 days in jail, but with credit for 17 days served, leaving no time to serve for violating the terms of his probation for a 2025 case for domestic violence and disorderly conduct.

David Patrick Miscimarra, 63, Boardman, was fined $200 for disorderly conduct amended from possessing criminal tools, with a charge of engaging in prostitution dismissed. He had been accused of allegedly responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity for hire, arriving in St. Clair Township on Oct. 9, 2024 for the meeting. Defense counsel had filed a motion to exclude evidence, claiming the defendant was not provided certain evidence during discovery, with county Municipal Court Judge Tim McNicol granting the motion to exclude all evidence not provided to the defense at the time of the discovery request in 2025. His cell phone was ordered returned to him during the recent plea hearing.

Roy Benny Helmick, 47, Morgantown, W.Va., was fined $900 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for engaging in prostitution, possessing criminal tools and drug paraphernalia. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and an education course. Helmick was accused of responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with women in exchange for $240, then driving to East Palestine on Dec. 23, 2024 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession, along with a meth pipe.

Douglas G. Pridemore, 56, Main Street, Wellsville, was fined $200 and sentenced to 18 days in jail, with credit for 18 days served, for theft. He was ordered to pay $163.73 to the Calcutta Walmart. Pridemore stole 10 items totaling $163.73 from the Calcutta Walmart on Jan. 30.

A pretrial was set April 27 for Anthony Dovell Jiles, 39, Pittsburgh, Pa., charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for allegedly responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for currency and providing her with $150 worth of cocaine, then arriving for the meeting on Feb. 17 in East Palestine with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession, along with a plastic baggie with a white powder substance.

A pretrial was set April 20 for David Craig Valent, 53, Rochester, Pa., charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for allegedly responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for $80, then arriving in East Palestine on Feb. 11 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

A pretrial was set April 28 for Shawn Rodderick Horne, 54, Baden, Pa., charged with two counts of possessing criminal tools for allegedly having the phone used to arrange a sex-for-hire meeting on Feb. 17 in East Palestine.

A pretrial was set April 27 for Nicholas H. Frase, 28, Old state Route 154, New Waterford, charged with endangering children for allegedly hitting a child with a wooden spoon while changing the child’s diaper on Oct. 29, 2025.

A pretrial was set April 28 for Pamela R. Webb, 66, Hillcrest Road, Wellsville, charged with operating a vehicle impaired first offense, marked lanes, possession of a schedule 4 substance and drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a black digital scale and a gray paper fold containing crushed alprazolam during a traffic stop on Nov. 17, 2025 in Liverpool Township.