Court News

LISBON — An East Palestine man who beat a woman and threatened her will face sentencing May 18 after entering a guilty plea to two charges in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.

Taylor Scott Snyder, 35, North Market Street, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony domestic violence and misdemeanor aggravated menacing. A felony charge of strangulation will be dismissed. Snyder was accused of beating a woman and saying he was going to kill her on Jan. 29 in East Palestine. The affidavit said he allegedly threw her around like a rag doll, biting her left ear, kicking her in the back of her neck, attempting to gouge her eye out, pulling her earrings out, punching her and putting her in a headlock.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Justin F. Lake, 29, Woodland Avenue, Salem, pleaded guilty to a lesser offense of attempted vandalism, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, to be served at the same time as any sentence imposed in Jefferson County. Lake was originally charged with felony vandalism. He was ordered to pay restitution to Columbiana County of $633. He was accused of intentionally damaging a tablet device by punching it and breaking it while he was an inmate at the county jail on March 30, 2025.

— Timothy F. Gibbs, 37, St. Clair Avenue, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to possession of heroin and possession of a fentanyl-related compound, with sentencing set for June 8. He possessed fentanyl and heroin on April 11, 2025.

— Tyler D. Weaver, 28, Spring Valley Road, Salineville, 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 Aug. 12, 2024.

— Tyler J. Corbisello, 31, 10th Street Extension, Wellsville, pleaded guilty to possession of a fentanyl-related compound, a fifth-degree felony, with sentencing set for May 18. He possessed fentanyl on Nov. 13, 2023.

— Jeffrey W. Steffel, 43, East State Street, Salem, was placed under community control for three years and ordered to serve 180 days in jail, with credit for 71 days served, and the remaining days suspended for trespassing, criminal damaging, resisting arrest and obstructing official business, all misdemeanors. He was accused of forcing his way into a Pembrooke Drive, Salem residence on June 1, 2025, breaking the door and frame, then refusing commands from a Perry Township police officer who told him to get up to exit the residence and also resisting arrest.

— Jarrell L. Sloan, 51, 14th Street, Wellsville, was sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, and being found in violation of his probation for a 2021 case of nonsupport of dependents, a fourth-degree felony, with credit for 168 days served in jail. He possessed cocaine on Jan. 11, 2024 and failed to pay support from Feb. 11, 2019 to Jan. 21, 2021.

— Kaden Taylor Desellem, 23, Black Road, Lisbon, was placed under community control for three years after pleading guilty to charges from two separate indictments, including improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation or a school safety zone, a second-degree felony, and two counts of domestic violence, one a fourth-degree felony and one a misdemeanor. A no contact order was put in place for the victim. He was accused of firing a gun into a house during an incident March 18, 2024 in Salineville, breaking the glass in a sliding patio door while a person was still standing inside the house. The domestic violence stemmed from him punching a man in the chin on Sept. 1, 2024 in Salineville.

— Lauren Horvatovich, 36, Poland, was placed on a treatment plan for three years after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine and possession of a fentanyl-related compound, both fifth-degree felonies, and misdemeanor possession of drugs, with credit for 49 days served in jail. She possessed cocaine, fentanyl and tramadol on May 27, 2025.

— A New Waterford woman accused of threatening to cut another woman and then shooting at her residence two days later entered a guilty plea recently, with sentencing set at 2 p.m. May 18.

Rebecca Lynn Simpson, 54, state Route 7, pleaded guilty to felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle, a fifth-degree felony during a hearing in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court before Judge Megan Bickerton.

Charges of second-degree felony improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation or a school safety zone, and misdemeanors of using weapons while intoxicated and aggravated menacing will be dismissed.

Simpson was found competent to stand trial late last year and again earlier this month.

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 June 12, 2025. 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, 2025 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 sideways 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 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:

— Grant Michael Goodballet, 27, Youngstown, pleaded guilty to felonious assault, a second-degree felony, with a third-degree felony charge of intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness in a criminal case to be dismissed. Sentencing was set for May 22. Goodballet attacked a woman with a knife on Aug. 23, 2025 in East Liverpool and had issued a threat against the victim on Sept. 21, 2025. An affidavit said the victim was standing near a burn barrel on Bank Street, East Liverpool when he heard his attacker coming towards him, turned around and saw him running towards him while swinging two knives. During the attack, the victim suffered a cut to his wrist and multiple knife wounds to his arms, neck, back and shoulder. In September, Goodballet was accused of calling a woman and telling her the victim needed to tell police that he lied and to drop the charges or he’d kill him and his kids.

— James E. Browne, 66, last known address East Clark Street, East Palestine, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found in violation of his probation for a charge of gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony. Browne had been warned at sentencing that he would face prison if he violated the terms or his community control, which has now been dishonorably terminated. He had been placed on community control for five years when he was sentenced in 2024, but with the probation not starting until his release from prison in May 2025 for a previous case. Browne was originally charged with first-degree felony rape, with the charge dismissed as part of the plea deal. Browne was previously serving a three-year prison term issued May 23, 2022 on charges of importuning and two counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. The charges involved him soliciting sexual activity from a law enforcement officer he believed to be 12 years old during a sex for hire sting April 10 and 11 in 2019 and sending that person obscene materials.

The indictment for the rape case was issued in December 2022, 26 years after the incident occurred. He was served with the charges in January 2023, with the indictment alleging the rape and sexual contact involved a 6-year-old victim from Oct. 1, 1996 to Dec. 31, 1998.

Grand Jury

LISBON — A Canton man involved in a crash while allegedly impaired is facing more serious charges after being served this week with a secret indictment for aggravated vehicular assault and vehicular assault.

Wilfredo Leon Ramirez, 24, was originally charged with operating a vehicle impaired first offense, no valid license and marked lanes in Columbiana County Municipal Court, but those charges were dismissed at the request of the prosecutor. The motion to dismiss cited the grand jury indictment, given the injuries sustained by the crash victim.

The grand jury issued charges of third-degree felony aggravated vehicular assault, fourth-degree felony vehicular assault and two counts of misdemeanor operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them-OVI.

The incident happened on Jan. 9 this year.

Also served with secret indictments were:

— Lance M. Morris, 39, Hilltop Drive, Lisbon, third-degree felonies of aggravated trafficking in drugs and aggravated possession of drugs, fourth-degree felonies of trafficking in cocaine and possession of cocaine and misdemeanor illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly trafficking and possessing psilocyn in an amount equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk, trafficking and possessing cocaine an amount equal or greater than five grams but less than 10 grams and possessing drug paraphernalia on Jan. 22, 2026.

— Joshua C. Hughes, 42, Creek Road, New Waterford, second-degree felonies of two counts aggravated trafficking in drugs and two counts aggravated possession of drugs, third-degree felonies of possession of a fentanyl-related compound and trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound and fifth-degree felony possession of cocaine. On Dec. 5, 2023, Hughes allegedly trafficked and possessed both methamphetamine and psilocyn in amounts equal or greater that five times bulk but less than 50 times bulk, cocaine, and fentanyl in an amount equal or greater than 50 doses but less than 100 doses.

— Michael L. Marsh, 46, Dover, aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony, for allegedly possessing methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk on May 8, 2025.

— Robert T. Manypenny, 43, state Route 164, Lisbon, fifth-degree felony possession of a fentanyl-related compound and misdemeanor possession of drugs for allegedly possessing fentanyl and xylazine on Oct. 4, 2023.

Common Pleas

New Cases

Rocket Mortgage, LLC, Detroit, Mich., vs. unknown heirs, etc. of Richard A. Secrest, address unknown, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.

Docket Entries

Capital One vs. Ernest S. Mansell; $17,090 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Maryann N. McMahon vs. Austin L. McMahon; divorce granted.

Leah Rae Batson and Jared Batson; dissolution granted.