Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary hearing was set March 4 for Johnathon R. Easterday, 35, Aten Avenue, Wellsville, charged with third-degree felony domestic violence for allegedly pushing a woman in the chest during an argument on Jan. 29 in Wellsville, with the woman falling into a glass box.

Devonte J. Bickley, 24, Lisbon Street, East Liverpool, was fined $250 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 56 days suspended and credit for 34 days served, for assault. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and to have no contact with the victim. Bickley was accused of grabbing a woman by the throat and pushing her to the ground then proceeding to try and punch her multiple times on Dec. 17, 2025 in Center Township.

Douglas D. Freed, 45, Hadley Road, East Palestine, was fined $250 and sentenced to 100 days in jail, with 99 days suspended and credit for one day served, for aggravated menacing and obstructing official business. Two other counts of aggravated menacing were dismissed. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service, possess no firearms, ammunition or weapons and to have no contact with the victims. Freed was accused of threatening to kill all the household members at a Fairfield Township residence and burn the house down on Aug. 18, 2025, calling the family with the threats. He also waved a machete at a man when leaving his home on Hadley Road, East Palestine and started calling him and make threats of shooting him and bashing his skull in, an affidavit said. When deputies arrived at his home to take him into custody, Freed allegedly refused to leave the home and sent children out the front door and said he wouldn’t be coming out. After making several announcements over the PA system of the patrol vehicle, deputies took him into custody.

Ryan Eugene Williams, 44, Allison Street, East Liverpool, was fined $150 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 15 days suspended and credit for 11 days served, leaving a balance of four days to serve in jail for menacing. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service, possess no firearms, ammunition or weapons, and to stay away from the victim. He was accused of telling another man to let him stay at his house in East Liverpool on Feb. 12 or he would kill him and burn his house down.

A pretrial was set May 6 for Ryan L. Mowery, 39, Youngstown, 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 money, arriving in East Palestine on Feb. 23 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Josiah Rance Jones, 18, Broadway Avenue, Wellsville, was fined $400 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 178 days suspended and credit for one day served, leaving one day to serve in jail for possessing criminal tools and obstructing official business. A charge of attempted theft was dismissed. He was ordered to complete 30 hours community service and to stay away from the Calcutta Walmart. He was accused of attempting to shoplift, stuffing items in a book bag and refusing to identify himself when caught at the Calcutta Walmart on Nov. 29, 2025.

Michelle Lynn Ryan, 45, Tiltonsville, was fined $200 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for possessing criminal tools and possessing drug abuse instruments. She was ordered to complete 20 hours community service. On Sept. 12, 2025 in East Liverpool, Ryan concealed $13 worth of items in her backpack at Dollar Tree and police also found two used syringes in the backpack.

Tyler L. Cox, 23, state Route 45, Lisbon, was fined $250 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for theft. He was ordered to complete 30 hours community service. Cox failed to scan and pay for $61.39 in merchandise at the Salem Walmart on Nov. 29, 2025.

A pretrial was set May 5 for Alicia Wells, 37, Lisbon Street, East Liverpool, charged with six counts of failure to file city income tax returns for allegedly failing to file East Liverpool city income tax returns from 2020 through 2025.

Shawn McKinnon, 31, and Rashaun Rutter McKinnon, 40, both Minerva Street, East Liverpool, were each fined $500 per count for six counts of failure to file city income tax return, with the fines suspended on the condition all future returns are timely filed and taxes timely paid. The McKinnons were charged for each failing to file East Liverpool city income tax returns from 2019 through 2024.

Oliver Chad Kemp, 53, North Market Street, East Palestine, was fined $800 for failure to obtain permission, depositing litter on public property and two counts of miscellaneous wildlife violation. He was ordered to forfeit a nine-point whitetail deer to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. On Dec. 2, 2025 on land in Middleton Township, he hunted without the owner’s permission and wildlife officers who went to the scene on Dec. 3, 2025 found two gut piles, two sets of footprints, two spent rifle casings and an empty beer can. The affidavit said a camera in the area showed the defendant dragging two antlered deer out toward Dyke Road and it was learned information regarding the harvests was falsified.

Branden Adam Kemp, 26, North Market Street, East Palestine, was fined $400 for hunting without permission and a miscellaneous wildlife violation . He was ordered to forfeit a five-point white tailed deer. On Dec. 2, 2025 on land in Middleton Township, he hunted without the owner’s permission and wildlife officers who went to the scene on Dec. 3, 2025 found two gut piles, two sets of footprints, two spent rifle casings and an empty beer can. The affidavit said a camera in the area showed another person dragging two antlered deer out toward Dyke Road with his assistance and it was learned information regarding the harvests was falsified.

Darren Blake Kemp, 19, North Market Street, East Palestine, was fined $200 for a miscellaneous wildlife violation and was ordered to forfeit a six-point white tailed deer to ODNR for possessing an antlered deer head untagged on Dec. 3 in East Palestine, with Kemp saying a friend dropped it off for taxidermy work.

Charity Haven Marie Hoffman, 21, Cunningham Road, Salem, was fined $200 for failure to obtain propogation permit for keeping a captured fox without a permit after the fox was reported running loose on Conkle Road, Salem Township on Feb. 11 and she admitted to buying it and having it at home. She was also fined $85 for no seat belt and speeding.

Raymond Daniel Breier, 39, East Clark Street, East Palestine, was fined $400 for hunting without permission and a miscellaneous wildlife violation for shooting a compound bow at a deer from a motor vehicle on Dec. 23, 2025 in East Palestine in the city limits while on a private access lane.

Dean Mikle Colussy, 48, state Route 45, Wellsville, was fined $150 for miscellaneous wildlife violation amended from miscellaneous wildlife violation. The charge was related to target shooting at Highlandtown Lake Wildlife Area Dam on Nov. 22, 2025.

Theodore Richard Murphy II, 61, Darlington Road, Negley, was fined $100 for hunting without permission for hunting on another person’s land on Jan. 4 in Middleton Township without the owner’s permission.

A pretrial was set May 5 for Russell Lynn Poling, 29, Steubenville Pike Road, Lisbon, charged with two counts of miscellaneous wildlife violations for allegedly presenting false information about what he used to kill a deer on Jan. 31 in Center Township, saying it was a cross bow and for taking a deer with a shotgun outside of Ohio deer gun week.

Charges of litter and storage of furniture against Traci L. Golden, 53, Wyoming Avenue, East Liverpool, were dismissed. Golden was accused of having litter and furniture outside in inclement weather on Oct. 12, 2025 in East Liverpool.

Ricky A. Wilson, 57, Maple Street, Lisbon, was fined $550 for lighted lights required and two counts of driving under suspension. Charges of drug paraphernalia and driving under suspension were dismissed. He had been accused of allegedly possessing a tear bag containing white powder during a traffic stop on Nov. 19, 2025 in St. Clair Township.

John Bailey, 56, Beaver Falls, Pa., was fined $875 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, with $500 of the fine suspended, for operating a vehicle impaired. Another OVI charge was dismissed.

Noah Nelson Wheaton, 25, Vine Street, East Liverpool, was fined $1,100 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 170 days suspended, leaving 10 days to serve in jail for OVI second offense and reasonable control. Another OVI charge was dismissed. His driver’s license was suspended for two years, with driving privileges granted. He was also ordered to served 15 days in jail, to be served at the same time as the sentence for the 2026 OVI case, for violating the terms of his probation for a 2024 OVI case.

Mitchell L. Cyrus, 40, West Main Street, New Waterford, was fined $900 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 175 days suspended, leaving five days to serve in jail, along with 30 days electronically monitored house arrest, for OVI and marked lanes. His driver’s license was suspended for one year and he was ordered to complete 20 hours community service. Another OVI charge and a charge of driving under suspension were dismissed.

A court trial was set May 6 for Raleigh T. McIntosh, 49, Bentwood Road, New Waterford, charged with open container for a Nov. 13, 2025 incident in Columbiana.

A pretrial was set April 22 for Johnathen Bryan, 42, state Route 170, East Palestine, charged with driving under suspension.

A pretrial was set May 5 for Brandy D. Virden, 47, Cleveland Street, Salem, charged with OVI second offense, OVI second offense breath and lighted lights required.

Michael Paul Scharfenberg Jr., 39, New Springfield, was fined $150 for lighted lights amended from marked lanes.

John E. Bowles, 50, Youngstown, was fined $150 for speeding. A charge of driving under suspension was dismissed.

Caleb Isaak Reynolds, 22, Adams Road, East Palestine, was fined $200 for lighted lights amended from driving under suspension and speeding.

Mary K. McLaughlin, 52, Whitehall, was fined $150 for speeding.

Heidi N. Gorby, 50, South Market Street, East Palestine, was fined $200 for driving under suspension and improper/expired registration.

Annie Karim, 58, New Franklin, was fined $150 for lighted lights.

Common Pleas

New Cases

Mya N. Boyd,Windsor Drive, East Liverpool, vs. Brennen C. Boyd, Bell Road, Lisbon; divorce sought.

Ally Bank, Solon, vs. Crystal Marchianda, West South Range Road, Salem; collection sought of alleged $15,815 debt.

Sallie Mae Bank, Newark, Del., vs. Andrew M. Schach, North Main Street, Columbiana, et al.; collection sought of alleged $32,303 debt.

Docket Entries

Myron Wehr Farms, LLC vs. Victor M. Thorne, individually and doing business as Original Malt; $45,747 judgment granted to plaintiff.

County Treasurer vs. Glen Guthrie, et al.; delinquent property tax paid, case dismissed.

Court News

LISBON — A man already sentenced to prison in January was sentenced to six months in prison for a fifth-degree felony vandalism charge, to be served at the same time as the 18 months he already received.

Timothy Moore Jr., 28, Campbell, pleaded guilty to the vandalism charge in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for damaging a tablet on Oct. 6, 2025. A charge of misdemeanor criminal damaging for the same incident was dismissed.

The previous case involved third-degree felony failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, with a tampering with evidence charge dismissed. His driver’s license was suspended for 10 years. Moore was accused of fleeing from an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper attempting a traffic stop on Aug. 2, 2025 in Elkrun Township, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph before ending on a deadend on Pennsylvania Avenue Extension in East Liverpool.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Donald Weyand V, 57, Monaca Street, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to a lesser-included charge of third-degree felony burglary, originally a second-degree felony, and misdemeanor theft, with sentencing set for April 24. A criminal damaging charge will be dismissed. Weyand was accused of stealing a speaker from a residence on Minerva Street in East Liverpool after forcing entry and damaging the rear entry door and frame on July 19, 2025.

— Joseph W. Perez, 43, Youngstown, was placed under community control for two years for obstructing justice, a fifth-degree felony lesser-included offense, with credit for 79 days served in jail. He was originally indicted for fourth-degree felony promoting prostitution for allegedly having an interest in an enterprise involving a woman to facilitate engagement in sexual activity on July 27, 2025 in East Palestine.

— Benjamin Parsons, 49, Massillon, was placed on an intervention plan for two years after pleading guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on April 26, 2024.

Grand Jury

LISBON — A woman whose grand theft auto case was just dismissed in Municipal Court at the state’s request was served Monday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for the same offense with two additional felony charges.

Natasha Lynn Thomas, 41, with addresses listed on Annesley Road, East Liverpool and in Aliquippa, Pa., was charged with third-degree felony tampering with evidence and fourth-degree felonies for grand theft of a motor vehicle and trespass in a habitation when a person is present or likely to be present.

Thomas was accused of allegedly stealing a 2018 Ford truck from United Rentals in St. Clair Township on Jan. 8, along with tampering and trespassing.

Also served with a secret indictment was Randall J. Myers, 47, Newell, W.Va., charged with aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing methamphetamine on Nov. 3, 2024.