Common Pleas

NEW CASES

Richard W. Apple II, U.S. Route 62, Beloit, vs. Dixi E. Apple, state Route 172, Lisbon; divorce sought.

Western Funding Incorporated, Los Angeles, Calif., vs. Jared Adams, West Main Street, Salineville, et al.; collection sought of alleged $14,687 debt.

Mohammed Yargueitt, Youngstown, vs. Kathy Benedict, Homeworth Road, Alliance; damages sought for personal injury claim from 2025 dog bite incident.

DOCKET ENTRIES

Ashley Nicole Mills vs. Zachary Thomas Mills; divorce granted.

Jerry J. Heavener and Deborah L. Heavener; dissolution granted.

Grand Jury

LISBON — An East Liverpool man accused of attempting to set fire to an apartment and threatening a woman was one of 15 defendants openly indicted by the Columbiana County Grand Jury this week.

Christopher Allen Stevens, 37, Moore Street, was charged with aggravated arson, a second-degree felony, and misdemeanors of arson, aggravated menacing, inducing panic and obstructing official business for allegedly making threats to harm a woman and burn the apartment down on April 8 and then being in the process of setting fire to the occupied building on Walnut Street, East Liverpool, with two occupied apartments and first responders in the hallway. The affidavit said he was refusing to exit the building and barricaded the door.

The grand jury met for two days, examined 46 witnesses covering 45 cases and issued the 15 open indictments and 28 secret indictments, with two cases resulting in no charges. Secret indictments aren’t revealed until the defendants are served with the paperwork.

Other open indictments issued included:

— Lance M. Morris, 40, Hilltop Drive, Lisbon, felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and fifth-degree felony possessing criminal tools for allegedly beating a woman with a large mirror and frame and making her fear she was going to be killed on May 18 in Salem. The possessing criminal tools charge relates to allegedly using the framed mirror criminally.

— John Carl Reinhart, 54, East Clark Street, East Palestine, third-degree felony domestic violence for allegedly hitting a woman in the face and putting his hands over her throat on May 27 in East Palestine.

— Christopher Allan Dorsey, 45, Erie Street, East Liverpool, fifth-degree felony violation of a protection order for allegedly walking through a protected person’s yard on May 27 in East Liverpool, seen on camera walking through the yard to take a picture of a vehicle and then walking back through the yard.

— Thomas Richard Clark, 33, Lacroft Avenue, East Liverpool, fourth-degree felony trespass in a habitation when a person is present or likely to be present and misdemeanor criminal damaging for allegedly trespassing in a woman’s home on May 16 in East Liverpool and punching out the tail light of a vehicle identified as a 2017 Jeep.

— Devon M. Barrett, 21, Cricket Lane, East Liverpool, two counts fifth-degree felony harassment with a bodily substance and misdemeanors of assault and two counts aggravated menacing for allegedly attacking another man during an incident at the Foundry in Salem on April 12 while visibly intoxicated, screaming and refusing to desist his disorderly behavior of fighting, making threats. After being placed in a police cruiser, he allegedly had blood in his mouth and vomited and then began spitting at a police officer twice.

— Bryan Keith Dilling, 54, Rose Drive, Lisbon, third-degree felony failure to provide notice of change of address and misdemeanor falsification for allegedly failing to notify the sheriff’s office of his change of address for the sex offender registration on May 11 in Lisbon and giving the sheriff’s address a false address for a property where he did not live.

— D’Anthony Chaundel Brown, 33, Youngstown, two counts of fourth-degree felony operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them-OVI for allegedly driving impaired with three prior OVI arrests within 10 years on his record on May 2 in Fairfield Township.

— Richard Wayne Hutton, 32, St. George Street, East Liverpool, fourth-degree felony receiving stolen property and misdemeanor illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a burnt glass pipe and a loaded stolen .45-caliber handgun during a traffic stop on May 1 in East Liverpool.

— Wilbert E. Faulk, 67, Minerva Street, East Liverpool, third-degree felony violating a protection order, fifth-degree felony violating a protection order and fourth-degree felony domestic violence for allegedly striking a woman in the face while there was a protection order in place on May 22 in East Liverpool.

— Shauntrice Krystle Carter, 32, Oakland Avenue, East Liverpool, harassment with a bodily substance, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly spitting at a police officer after being told she was being pink-slipped or forced to go to a hospital for mental health reasons on May 16 in East Liverpool.

— Austin R. Lemasters, 28, Malone Road, Salineville, third-degree felony attempted burglary, fifth-degree felony possessing criminal tools and misdemeanor criminal mischief for allegedly breaking into a home in Yellow Creek Township on May 10.

— Isaiah J. Carl, 18, West State Street, Salem, fourth-degree felony trespass in a habitation when a person is present or likely to be present and three counts of fifth-degree felony harassment by an inmate for allegedly trespassing at a residence in Salem on June 4 and allegedly spitting on three different police officers.

— Patrick A. Lattanzio, 37, North Beaver Street, Lisbon, third-degree felony tampering with evidence and misdemeanors of obstructing official business, operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them-OVI and driving under OVI suspension for allegedly concealing suspected drug paraphernalia in his hand during a traffic stop on June 4 in Lisbon while impaired.

— Douglas H. Flick, 59 Cannons Mill Road, East Liverpool, two counts of fourth-degree felony operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them-OVI and specifications for forfeiture of vehicle for allegedly driving impaired and crashing on March 7 in Madison Township, with three or more OVI convictions on his record. The vehicle to be forfeited was identified as a 2008 Chevy Express.

Court News

LISBON — A Wellsville man who entered a guilty plea to possession of cocaine won’t have to serve any additional time in prison, with the 12-month sentence to be served concurrent with the prison sentence he’s already been serving.

Derek J. Thompson, 31, Chester Avenue, pleaded guilty to the third-degree felony cocaine possession charge with a forfeiture specification recently in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court, with a charge of trafficking in cocaine to be dismissed.

The sentence included 12 months in prison, but to be served at the same time as a case from 2024 and two cases from 2025. He also received a mandatory $5,000 fine for possessing 10 to 20 grams of cocaine and $414 on May 1, 2025. He must forfeit the $414.

Thompson was sentenced in December 2025 to 24 months in prison for charges from three different cases, including third-degree felony illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility and fifth-degree felonies of aggravated possession of drugs, two counts possession of cocaine, two counts possession of a fentanyl-related compound, possession of heroin, and two counts possession of drugs. In those cases, Thompson possessed cocaine and methamphetamine on July 18, 2022, took drugs into a detention facility and possessed cocaine, fentanyl, bromazolam and xylazine on May 31, 2024 and possessed heroin, fentanyl and xylazine on Dec. 18, 2024.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

–Samantha L. Harrison, 36, Boardman Street, New Waterford, was sentenced to community control for 12 months, with a suspended 180-day jail term, after pleading guilty to a lesser offense of attempted obstructing official business, a misdemeanor. She was originally indicted for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on March 1, 2024.

— Thomas R. Welsh, 41, East Fourth Street, Salem, pleaded guilty to charges from two separate indictments, including a lesser offense of attempted trespass in a habitation when a person is present or likely to be present, a fifth-degree felony, and third-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs. The trespass charge was originally a fourth-degree felony for trespassing in a habitation. A third-degree felony charge of aggravated trafficking in drugs will be dismissed. Sentencing was set for Sept. 10. Welsh was accused of crawling through a window with another person and entering a recently sold residence in Salem on Oct. 17, 2025. He possessed methamphetamine on April 27, 2025.

Municipal

LISBON – In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a case against Robert James Davis, 40, LaCroft Avenue, East Liverpool, was bound over to the grand jury.

Davis is charged with theft, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly stealing a cement saw valued at $2,249.99 from a Calcutta Smith Ferry Road business May 27 and then attempting to sell it for $500 at a local consignment shop.

A status conference hearing was set Sept. 21 for Nicholas Dalton Desimore, 26, Alpha Street, East Liverpool, charged with sexual imposition for allegedly touching a minor in a sexual manner at a Michigan Avenue, East Liverpool, home Dec. 15.

A pretrial was set Aug. 5 for Charles D. Green, 40, South Cross Street, Columbiana, charged with strangulation, a second-degree felony, and domestic violence, a fourth-degree felony, for allegedly entering the victim’s state Route 558, Leetonia, home June 26 and strangling her unconscious with his belt and then striking her in the face several times.

Green was also sentenced to 80 days in jail (10 credited) and fined $500 for assault and aggravated menacing for headbutting the victim, striking her multiple times and threatening to kill her at the victim’s home June 9.

A pretrial was set Aug. 12 for Kacandra I. Seddon, 45, Lisa Lane, Lisbon, charged with a protection order violation for allegedly approaching a Depot Road home of a protected individual July 8.

A pretrial was set Sept. 14 for Rick Allen Fisher, 35, Allison Road, Chester, W.Va., charged with theft for allegedly stealing along with two other individuals $849.64 in merchandise from the Calcutta Walmart July 1.

A pretrial was set Sept. 14 for Tammy F. Kent, 48, charged with OVI first offense and marked lanes.

Zacheus Inalien, 43, Orlando, Florida, was fined $750, sentenced to 90 days in jail (11 credited, 79 suspended), placed on one year probation and ordered to complete 20 hours community service and an online anti-prostitution class for engaging in prostitution and possession of criminal tools.

John J. Sisson, 44, Racine, Ohio, was fined $150, sentenced to 30 days in jail (suspended) and ordered to complete 20 hours community service and have no contact with the victim for disorderly conduct amended from a protection order violation.