Trending
Common Pleas
NEW CASES
Kerrie A. Spooner, Carter Road, New Waterford, vs. Joseph M. Spooner, DeSellem Road, Lisbon; divorce sought.
Roger Lamb Jr. and Amanda Wells, both Chester, W.Va., vs. Ford Motor Company, Columbus; damages sought for claims of alleged tortious breach of warranty, Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act violation, Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act violation, and Ohio Lemon Law violation related to issues with 2024 Ford Bronco purchased new on June 10, 2025.
DNF Associates LLC, Getzville, N.Y. vs. Courtney Sommers, Chestnut Street, Leetonia; collection sought of alleged $3,017 debt.
Shannon Fairbanks, Columbia Street, Leetonia, vs. Sarah L. Simcox, Windjammer Drive, Columbiana, et al.; damages sought for personal injury/insurance claims from 2024 traffic crash.
Freedom Mortgage Corporation, Fishers, Ind., vs. William G. Wiley, Salem Grange Road, Salem, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.
Deziray Eckenrode, state Route 164, Salineville, vs. Buckeye Trailer & Fab Company, Damascus, and Mark Higinbotham, Painter Road, Salem; damages sought for claims of alleged religion discrimination-termination of employment, failure to withhold child support, aiding and abetting unlawful discrimination and retaliation.
Tonya J. Kirchgessner, state Route 9, Salem, vs. Haltec, Salem, and Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, Columbus; appeal of claim denial.
NewRez LLC Greenville, S.C., vs. Jamie Mickey, Vine Street, East Liverpool, et al. mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.
Capital One, N.A., Independence, vs Ruthie Kidder, Maplewood Avenue, East Liverpool; collection sought of alleged $4,455 debt.
Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC, Coral Gables, Fla., vs. Michael C. Shaw, state Route 14, New Waterford, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.
Christopher Grabbe, Woodsend Drive, Salem, and Courtney Grabbe, Austintown; dissolution sought.
DOCKET ENTRIES
Huntington National Bank vs. Shurl C. Stover III, et al.; case stayed due to bankruptcy filing.
Forsythe Finance LLC vs. Cody James Naylor; case dismissed.
Tina M. Keller vs. John Ash; case settled and dismissed.
Rocket Mortgage, LLC vs. David Pratt, et al.; mortgage foreclosure ordered for Union Street, Columbiana.
Belinda M. Padurean and Justin M. Padurean; dissolution granted.
Shawn P. Hartman vs. Kayla B. Hartman; divorce granted.
Grand Jury
LISBON -- A man accused of assaulting a woman in East Liverpool earlier this year was openly indicted Wednesday by the Columbiana County Grand Jury.
Dominic D. Crooms, 27, Summit Drive, Salineville, was charged with felonious assault, a second-degree felony, fourth-degree felony strangulation and misdemeanor domestic violence for allegedly placing his hands around a woman's neck and squeezing in an attempt of strangulation and striking her in the face, head and body on Feb. 27.
The grand jury issued 14 open indictments, one superseding indictment and 33 secret indictments after meeting for two days on 48 cases. Secret indictments aren't revealed until the defendants are served with the paperwork.
The superseding indictment was issued against Paskal Nkumba, 27, Windsor Mill, Md., who's now facing a drug charge along with charges from an earlier indictment related to a sex-for-hire incident last fall. Charges against him now include fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, third-degree felony tampering with evidence and misdemeanors of engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for allegedly responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging to have sexual activity with a woman for $140, traveling to East Palestine on Oct. 3 for the meeting. While being removed from his box truck, he allegedly deleted the message thread between himself and an agent with the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force from his cell phone that was used to make the arrangements. He also possessed suspected LSD mushrooms.
Other open indictments issued included:
-- Luke Andrew Morrison, 28, Cora Street, East Liverpool, fourth-degree felony disruption of public services and misdemeanor telecommunications harassment for allegedly calling the East Liverpool Police Department nine times between 8:12 p.m. and 9:27 p.m. May 27 with no grounds to report a crime or file a complaint. He had been told that officers were tied up and unable to speak to him to answer questions that did not pertain to any crime taking place and continued to call, causing an unnecessary burden on the 911 call center.
-- Joseph R. Adams, 48, Holliday Street, East Liverpool, third-degree felony escape and fifth-degree felony vandalism for allegedly fleeing from East Liverpool City Hospital while he was an inmate at the Columbiana County jail and there for treatment and removed his GPS ankle monitor and damaged it on June 13. Sheriff's deputies searched the area near the hospital and learned from Newell Bridge employees that nobody walked across the bridge, but several cars had passed through. Surveillance video from the bridge was reviewed. The ankle monitor was still pinging and had been disposed of across the bridge in West Virginia.
-- Ronald E. Boyer, 53, Wilson Street, Salineville, third-degree felony complicity in the commission of an offense and fifth-degree felony obstructing justice, for allegedly lying to deputies about his involvement with the escaped inmate from East Liverpool City Hospital, identified as Joseph R. Adams, saying he had dropped him off at the Newell bridge when video evidence showed he drove him across the bridge. The affidavit said the inmate cut off his ankle monitor and threw it somewhere after they crossed the bridge, then they drove to the casino in West Virginia where the inmate ditched his jail clothing. Boyer then drove him back into Ohio and then into Pennsylvania and dropped him off, all on June 13.
-- Tylor J. Rowe, 32, Akron, fifth-degree felony domestic violence for allegedly grabbing a pregnant woman by the collar of her shirt, throwing her on the bed, then punching her in the face on June 8 in Knox Township. When she attempted to kick him to get away, he allegedly punched her again, this time on top of her head.
-- Scott A. Bailey, 56, East Third Street, Salem, fifth-degree felony violating a protection order for allegedly being with a protected person on June 13 in Salem.
-- Hayden M. Wright, 37, St. George Street, East Liverpool, misdemeanors of assault and aggravated menacing for allegedly being one of the suspects who showed up at a man's house in Wellsville on May 7 and sawed through his door to break in to evict him from his home, then once inside, they were allegedly punching him and holding a power saw around his head and neck.
-- Brian Francis Buckley, 33, North Market Street, East Palestine, fourth-degree felony menacing by stalking and misdemeanors of menacing and disorderly conduct for allegedly approaching another man and threatening to beat him on multiple occasions, including on March 19 and April 22 at the Circle K in East Palestine when he made threats and at one point ran and cut off the victim and his children while they were walking.
-- Heather Renee Roberts, 37, Minerva Street, East Liverpool, fourth-degree felony trespass in a habitation when a person is present or likely to be present for allegedly trespassing in a home on June 7 in East Liverpool after previously being evicted.
-- Zachary L. Cline, 34, Minerva Street, 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 home on June 15 in East Liverpool, damaging a man's property.
-- Kelly M. Reed, 36, Broadway Avenue, Wellsville, misdemeanor obstructing official business for allegedly failing to follow commands of police officers during a traffic stop on May 31 in East Liverpool.
-- Mitzi S. Stoddard, 37, Park Avenue, East Palestine, fifth-degree felony obstructing justice and misdemeanor illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly transporting a wanted person in her vehicle on June 9 in Salem, acknowledging on June 3 that she knew he was wanted by the Adult Parole Authority. During the incident on June 9, she had baggies for the storage of dangerous drugs in her possession.
-- Robert J. Davis, 41 Lacroft Avenue, East Liverpool, fifth-degree felony theft for allegedly stealing a Stihl saw from Vernon Dell Tractor, East Liverpool on May 27.
-- Norman W. Bender, 52, Aten Avenue, Wellsville, fourth-degree felony grand theft of a motor vehicle and misdemeanors of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them-OVI, driving under suspension and drug paraphernalia for allegedly driving away in a woman's vehicle without permission on June 16 in East Liverpool. The affidavit said she gave him a ride and when she exited the vehicle, he allegedly drove away and then he was stopped for a moving violation and she arrived on scene and reported he stole the vehicle. He was in possession of a metal smoking pipe and torch lighter also.
Municipal
LISBON -- A Columbiana man was bound over to the grand jury facing potential felony charges for strangulation and domestic violence.
Charles Green, 40, Cross Street, Columbiana, was bound over to the grand jury charged with second-degree felony strangulation, and fourth degree felony domestic violence for allegedly forcing a pregnant woman onto her bed where he held her down, struck her in the face and then used his belt to strangle her until she lost consciousness in Salem Township on June 26.
Stanley Purvis, 51, Hastings, Michigan, was sentenced for 90 days in jail with 89 days suspended and credit for one day served and fined $500 for engaging in prostitution, for arranging to meet with an undercover agent from the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force in Unity Township for sexual activity in exchange for drugs and currency on Jan. 31 and possessing the cellular device and currency used to arrange the criminal act, as well as suspected crystal methamphetamine, two hypodermic syringes loaded with liquid methamphetamine, a meth pipe, a green snorting straw, other drug paraphernalia, and sexual items. Charges of possessing criminal tools, possessing drug abuse instruments, and drug paraphernalia were dismissed.
David Robertson, 75, Summerland Trail, Poland, was sentenced to 90 days in jail with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served and fined $750 for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for arranging to meet with an undercover agent from the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force in Unity Township for sexual activity in exchange for $190 and possessing the currency and cellular device used to arrange the criminal act at that time.
Francis Fasline, 35, West Park Avenue, was sentenced to 90 days in jail with 88 days suspended and credit for two days served and fined $750 for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for arranging to meet with an undercover agent from the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force in Unity Township on Aug. 28, 2025, for sexual activity in exchange for methamphetamine and possessing the methamphetamine and cellular device used to arrange the criminal act at that time.
Elizabeth Anchondo, 27, Oyster Road, Alliance, was fined $150 for disorderly conduct for using unwarranted and grossly abusive language to a bus driver and teacher for the East Palestine City School District while picking up her daughter on May 15.
Thomas Holman, 45, Hammond School Road, Wellsville, was fined $150 for drug paraphernalia for possessing a smoking device commonly used to smoke methamphetamine in St. Clair Township on July 27.
Daniel Gray, 61, Saltwell Road, Lisbon, was fined $200 for failure to file tax returns for failing to file sales tax returns for the period of January to May 2026.
Liam Campbell, 20, Holiday Street, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 180 days in jail with 177 days suspended and credit for three days served and fined $1,065 for OVI.
Ayson Moody, 25, Pennsylvania Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $975 for physical control amended from OVI.
A pretrial was set Aug. 12 for Ronald Shaffer, 33, Salineville Road, Salineville, charged with aggravated menacing, assault, criminal damaging, and domestic violence for allegedly telling the driver of a vehicle picking him up from the Columbiana County Jail on Aug. 4 to kill themselves before grabbing the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to go off the roadway on the eastbound of U.S. Route 30.
A pretrial was set Oct. 26 for Donnie Gay, 33, Smithfield Street, East Liverpool, charged with assault for allegedly punching a man in the face causing his right eyebrow to bleed in West Township on July 25.
A pretrial was set Aug. 26 for Tanner Ewing, 33, Canterbury Lane, Wooster, charged with violating a protection order for allegedly sending a text message to the protected person on July 14.
A pretrial was set Oct. 6 for Jessie Barcus, 29, West Eighth Street, East Liverpool, charged with menacing and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license for allegedly threatening to burn a woman's property on Aug. 31 in Liverpool Township.
A pretrial was set Oct. 14 for Andrew Hunley, 50, Market Street, Youngstown, charged with theft and possession of drug abuse instruments for allegedly taking two items without paying for them from an East Liverpool business on June 17, and allegedly possessing an uncapped syringe when he was taken into custody on Aug. 4.
A pretrial was set Aug. 19 for Elizabeth Coulter, 47, Erie Street, East Liverpool, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly entering a shed on a Harvey Avenue property they had previously been trespassed from on Aug. 4 in East Liverpool.
A pretrial was set Aug. 10 for Dustin Brooks, 38, Vine Street, East Liverpool, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly entering a Vine Street property they were not welcome on in East Liverpool on Aug. 31.