Common Pleas

NEW CASES

Jason D. Rowland, Summit Street, Lisbon, vs. Kayla L. Rowland, Summit Street, Lisbon; divorce sought.

Daniel V. Hissom, Y & O Road, Wellsville, vs. Brittany Hissom, Smithfield Street, East Liverpool; divorce sought.

Loandepot.com, LLC, Plano, Texas, vs. Christopher Ingledue, Broadway Avenue, Wellsville, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.

DOCKET ENTRIES

Rocket Mortgage, LLC vs. unknown heirs, etc. of Richard A. Secrest, et al.; mortgage foreclosure ordered for Union Street, Columbiana property.

U.S. Bank Trust National Association vs. unknown administrator, etc. of the estate of Franklin R. Pigott, et al.; mortgage foreclosure ordered for Woodbine Avenue, East Liverpool property.

American Express National Bank vs, David Banfield; $18,274 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Capital One, N.A. vs. Taylor L. Headley; $4,189 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Olivia Jo Oiler vs. Cody Allen Oiler; divorce granted.

Zachary Martin vs. Yoselin Godinez-Lopez; divorce granted.

Court News

LISBON — A drug defendant who entered guilty pleas in two different cases for multiple drug charges was sentenced in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court to at least five years in prison.

Gene Brandon Wright, 42, Newell, W.Va., was sentenced to an indefinite sentence of two to three years in one case after pleading guilty to second-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, third-degree felony illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility and fifth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine and possession of a fentanyl-related compound. He also received a mandatory $7,500 fine. Wright possessed cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than five times bulk but less than 50 times bulk and also attempted to take drugs onto the grounds of a detention facility on March 1, 2023.

For the other case, he received an indefinite sentence of three to four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs and fifth-degree felony possession of cocaine. He received another mandatory fine of $7,500. Wright possessed cocaine and methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than five times bulk but less than 50 times bulk on June 19, 2023.

The sentence of three to four and a half years was ordered served at the same time as a sentence Wright’s currently serving in West Virginia, along with six months he received for violating the terms of his probation for a 2019 case of receiving stolen property, a fifth-degree felony for an incident April 4, 2016.

The indefinite term of two to three years was ordered served consecutive or in addition to the three and four-and-a-half years, for a total of at least five years.

According to the West Virginia Department of Corrections website, he entered the West Virginia state prison system in September 2024, with a projected release date of October 2031.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Kip Bailey, 38, state Route 267, East Liverpool, was placed under community control for three years and ordered to serve 120 days in the county jail, with credit for 33 days served, leaving a balance of 87 days still to serve for two counts of menacing by stalking, a fourth-degree felony, and misdemeanor criminal child enticement. He was ordered to have no contact with the victims. He was accused of stalking two female juveniles in East Liverpool on July 2, 2024 by means of watching and hiding in bushes, creeping on his hands and knees while watching, and waiting and hiding from approaching vehicles. He also allegedly engaged in inappropriate and harmful talk to the juveniles, watching and continuously walking by the residence and peeling out in his vehicle, the affidavit said.

— Ciera N. Rowley, 37, was ordered to pay restitution of $7,901 to Pondi’s Restaurant in Lisbon after pleading guilty to grand theft, a fourth-degree felony, for stealing money from Sept. 20, 2023 to Feb. 2, 2025. She was placed on an intervention plan for three years for her sentence.

— Derek Calvin, 35, Canfield, pleaded guilty to trespass in a habitation, a fourth-degree felony lesser offense from the original second-degree felony of burglary, and misdemeanor criminal damaging for forcing entry into a home in Fairfield Township on March 4, 2025, damaging household items, ransacking the home and stealing some items, with his car stuck in the rear yard and left there. His sentenced is set for Aug. 20.

— Katrina R. Smith, 32, Newell, W.Va., will remain under community control after violating the terms of her probation for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, but the terms will include participation in drug court. Smith possessed methamphetamine on June 16, 2024.

Municipal

LISBON – In Columbiana County Municipal Court, Travis James Shultz, 42, Mountz Road, Homeworth, was fined $565 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program for two merged OVI counts. A charge of failure to control was dismissed. His license was suspended for one year with driving privileges granted, plus 20 hours community service.

A pretrial was set Sept. 2 for William K. Hopkins II, 60, Hillside Drive, Salem, charged with OVI, physical control and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a bag of unknown blue pills during a traffic stop on June 30 in Salem.

A pretrial was set Sept. 2 for Joshua Balmenti, 39, Indianapolis, Ind., charged with operating a vehicle impaired, tail lights and no seat belt.

A pretrial was set Aug. 31 for Kyler Matthew O’Connor, 23, New Cumberland, W.Va., charged with OVI, OVI breath and reasonable control.

Jill Elaine Evick, 56, Parsons, W.Va., was fined $565 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 175 days suspended and credit for five days served, with 25 hours community service for physical control. Her license was suspended for 180 days.

Shawn Robert Shirk, 44, Genesee, Pa., was fined $1,200 and must serve at least one day in jail for obstructing official business, engaging in prostitution, possessing criminal tools, and reckless operation amended from OVI. Charges of refuse to submit to test for commercial motor vehicle or commercial driver’s license, no seat belt and marked lanes were dismissed. For the prostitution case, a 180-day jail term was suspended. For the reckless operation, the sentence was 30 days with 27 suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program. For the obstructing charge, he was sentenced to 90 days, with 88 days suspended and credit for one day, leaving one day to serve in jail. Community service of 25 hours was ordered, along with a prostitution prevention course. On July 19, 2025, he failed to exit the vehicle after being asked multiple times during a traffic stop in Perry Township upon suspicion of being impaired. On Jan. 15, 2026, he arrived in East Palestine for a sex-for-hire meeting after responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for $140. He also possessed the phone used to make the arrangements.

David Craig Valent, 53, Rochester, Pa., was fined $750 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools, with 20 hours community service. He already completed an education course. Valent responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for $80, then traveled to East Palestine on Feb. 11 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Kenneth Joseph Buzzard, 76, Pittsburgh, Pa., was fined $500 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for engaging in prostitution. A charge of possessing criminal tools was dismissed and he was ordered to complete a prostitution prevention course. Buzzard responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with women in exchange for $150, then traveled to East Palestine on Nov 11, 2025 for the meeting.

A pretrial was set Aug. 3 for Nicola D Strother, 41, First Street, Beloit, charged with theft for allegedly stealing a package from a woman’s porch on U.S. Route 62 in Knox Township and then bringing it back and dropping it at the end of a driveway on Westville Lake Road on April 30.

A pretrial was set Aug. 26 for Virginia M. Christy-Keener, 72, Moore Street, East Liverpool, charged with theft for allegedly stealing $758 worth of items from the Salem Walmart while working with another woman on June 28.

Jacob J. Fullerton, 25, West California Avenue, Sebring, was fined $1,075 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 80 days suspended, leaving 10 days still to serve in jail for two merged OVI charges, open container, and disorderly conduct amended from obstructing official business. Fullerton wasn’t following commands during a traffic stop April 19 in Perry Township. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and his license was suspended for two years.

Britton K. Steiginga, 32, Walnut Grove Drive, New Waterford, was fined $250 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for obstructing official business, with 20 hours community service. He was refusing to identify himself or provide his identification and refused to exit the vehicle during a traffic stop on Feb. 28 in Columbiana.

Derica Charnel Barnett, 37, West Eighth Street, East Liverpool, was fined $200 and sentenced to 10 days in jail, with credit for seven days served, leaving three days to serve in jail for complicity for being the driver for an alleged shoplifter on Feb. 18 at the Calcutta Walmart. She was also ordered to serve an additional 30 days in jail for violating the terms of her probation for a 2022 theft case.

Thomas Glen Reed, 38, St. Clair Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $200 and given a suspended 90-day jail term and 20 hours community service for theft for stealing a generator out of the Calcutta Walmart on March 24.

A pretrial was set Sept. 2 for Alvin W. Carnes, 42, West Washington Street, Lisbon, charged with criminal damaging for allegedly throwing rocks at a motorcycle and another motor vehicle on June 29 at state Route 164 and Mattix Road in Center Township.

A pretrial was set Aug. 26 for Doyle L. Conner Jr., 40, Third Street, Salem, charged with complicity to commit theft for allegedly driving the vehicle after a person stole groceries from Walmart in Salem on June 26.

A pretrial was set Sept. 1 for Frank James Lacey, 63, Georgetown, Ky., charged with drug paraphernalia, expired license and tail light violation for allegedly possessing a burnt glass pipe with an unknown residue during a traffic stop on June 24 in East Liverpool.

Christopher Nelson Read, 47, Coraopolis, Pa., was fined $645 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, with 20 hours community service, for physical control amended from OVI, no seat belt and a turn signal violation. Another OVI was dismissed. His license was suspended for one year. He also must serve 10 days electronically monitored house arrest.

George David Faber, 65, Youngstown, was fined $100 for open container for having an open container of alcohol on June 21 in East Liverpool.