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Grand Jury
LISBON -- Pamela S. Risbeck, 50, Trinity Church Road, Lisbon, was served Thursday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for fourth-degree felony theft from a person in a protected class, fifth-degree felony receiving stolen property and misdemeanor misuse of credit cards for allegedly stealing $1,585 from a man, possessing his stolen debit card and misusing his credit card from Oct. 11, 2025 to Oct. 14, 2025.
Municipal
LISBON -- In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a case against Kyrin Michael McLaughlin, 28, Rose Drive, Lisbon, was bound over to the county grand jury for fourth-degree felony strangulation and misdemeanor domestic violence for allegedly getting into a fight with a juvenile, grabbing the juvenile by the collar and choking him, throwing him on the ground and getting on top of him on Sept. 7 in Center Township.
A case against Chelsea Rose Baker, 36, Laura Avenue, East Liverpool, was bound over to the county grand jury for violation of a protection order, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly knocking on the door of a protected person's residence in East Liverpool on Sept. 6.
A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Sept. 23 for Anthony Phillip Cook, 62, Prospect Street, East Liverpool, charged with fourth-degree felony theft, fifth-degree felonies of breaking and entering and possessing criminal tools and misdemeanors of obstructing official business, theft and criminal damaging. On Sept. 14, he allegedly ignored commands by East Liverpool police to stop walking when approached and then started running. On Sept. 17 he allegedly broke into a construction site on West Fifth Street in East Liverpool, using a ladder to gain access to the building and take items, including a garbage container, and damaging copper wiring fixtures to the AC unit.
A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Sept. 21 for Cassandra R. Manley, 38, Bell Road, Lisbon, charged with fifth-degree felony breaking and entering and misdemeanor failure to comply for allegedly breaking into an unoccupied space on Main Street, Wellsville on Sept. 14 and fleeing from police.
Brandon Pritt, 21, Echo Dell Road, East Liverpool, was fined $350 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 177 days suspended, leaving three days to serve for assault, with 40 hours community service ordered. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim. Pritt punched another man in the face and head, pinning him between the car door and body while the victim was being punched by someone else March 8 in Perry Township.
Jerry Phillip Ludington, 29, Maryland Street, East Liverpool, was fined $250 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 89 days suspended and credit for one day served, with 20 hours community service, for assault amended from domestic violence. On Sept. 2, he pushed a woman in the kitchen in East Liverpool and tackled her on the walkway outside the house.
A pretrial was set Sept. 23 for Leslie A. Cole, 62, East Pershing Street, Salem, charged with two counts of assault and one count of criminal damaging for allegedly shoving a juvenile off of a picnic table at Centennial Park and slapping another juvenile in the arm and shoulder, causing damage to the juvenile's cell phone by smacking the juvenile, causing the cell phone to fall and crack on the pavement on Sept. 14 in Salem.
A pretrial was set Sept. 23 for Bryan L. Cooper, 44, Lowmiller Road, Minerva, charged with domestic violence for allegedly punching a woman in the face and head during an argument Sept. 14 in West Township.
Rachel Bernadette Troup, 49, Ravine Street, East Liverpool, was fined $250 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 70 days suspended and credit for 18 days served, leaving two days to serve in jail for assault amended from domestic violence, with 20 hours community service ordered. She was ordered to have no contact with the victim. She struck a man in the head with a cup she threw on Aug. 28 in East Liverpool.
A pretrial was set Oct. 20 for Brayden Michael Olson, 19, McCoy Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with violation of a protection order for allegedly sending several messages and trying to call protected person via social media on Sept. 2 in East Liverpool.
A pretrial was set Sept. 28 for Lisa M. Young, 52, Rose Drive, Lisbon, charged with violation of a protection order for allegedly coming within 50 feet of a protected person in Lisbon on Sept. 17.
A pretrial was set Nov. 16 for Dominique L. Fowler, 20, Youngstown, charged with aggravated menacing and telecommunications harassment for allegedly sending another woman 41 unwanted text messages from 11 a.m. April 8 to 11:23 p.m. April 8 in Yellow Creek Township, with several threats to harm the woman, including killing her.
Justin M. Buckel, 34, Dakota Street, East Liverpool, was fined $2,425 and sentenced to 110 days in jail, with credit for 51 days served, leaving a balance of 59 days still to serve for four counts of theft, one count criminal trespass, two counts obstructing official business, one count menacing and one count menacing amended from aggravated menacing and one count each of disorderly conduct, operating a vehicle impaired, driving under suspension and failure to display sticker. Another charge of obstructing official business was dismissed. The charges stemmed from a number of incidents in 2024, 2025 and 2026. On July 18, 2024 during a traffic stop he switched seats with the passenger in Lisbon. On Nov. 1, 2024, he threatened to beat a woman in East Liverpool. On Sept. 19, 2025, he stole some items from the East Liverpool Auto Zone. On Sept. 22, 2025, he attempted to assault a man and threatened him in East Liverpool. On Dec. 9, 2025, he trespassed in the Calcutta Walmart and stole four items totaling $662. On May 13, 2026, he stole $49 worth of items from Dollar General in East Liverpool, including a dog leash. The OVI stemmed from a traffic stop May 28, 2026. On Aug. 9, 2026, he threatened to stab a woman in Wellsville. On Aug. 18, 2026, he stole a wiring harness from O'Reilly Auto Parts in East Liverpool. On Aug. 26, 2026, he ran when police attempted to serve him with an active warrant and was found hiding under a pile of tires in the basement of a house in East Liverpool.
Kyle E. Mellott, 31, Fredricktown Clarkson Road, Negley, was fined $900 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 75 days suspended and credit for 15 days served, with 20 hours community service, for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, possession of drug abuse instrument, driving under suspension and obstructing official business. On Nov. 3, 2025 in Salem Township, he didn't have permission to use a vehicle. On Jan. 14 this year, he possessed a syringe during a traffic stop in Salem. The obstruction charge stemmed from an incident in Columbiana on April 30.
Richard E. Elrod, 50, Pine Street, Leetonia, was fined $150 and given credit for one day served for theft for allegedly stealing a candy bar at a store in Leetonia on Sept. 14.
Erica Sprankle, 41, East Fourth Street, East Liverpool, was fined $600 and received credit for four days served for attempted theft, possessing criminal tools, possession of a drug abuse instruments, and drug paraphernalia. Two counts of drug paraphernalia and one count of possessing drug abuse instruments were dismissed. On May 18 in St. Clair Township, she attempted to switch merchandise tickets in Walmart and possessed the tickets, used hypodermic syringes, glass smoking pipe and narcotics. During a traffic stop on May 28 in East Liverpool, she possessed a burnt glass pipe, scale and tray. During a traffic stop on April 2 in East Liverpool, she allegedly possessed suspected narcotics, a burnt glass pipe and metal made shift pipe with residue.
Matthew Scott Rudder, 37, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool was fined $400 and sentenced to five days in jail, with credit for three days served, leaving two days to serve of theft and obstructing official business. On March 26, 2024, in Salem, he never returned a Rug Doctor from Dollar General. On Aug. 6, 2024 in St. Clair Township, he claimed he wasn't driving a vehicle involved in an accident and gave a false name.
Michael E. Walz, 67, Old Fredricktown Road, East Liverpool, was fined $150 for disorderly conduct amended from menacing for continuously coming onto or just at the property line of a neighboring property, taking a fighting stance and screaming at the neighbor to come fight him on July 20 in St. Clair Township.
Lori A. Whitman, 56, Vine Street, Salem, was fined $150 and received credit for two days served for obstructing official business amended from felony obstructing justice for harboring a man with an active felony warrant on Aug. 25.
Kylie Elizabeth Kreefer, 30, Kingsridge Road, East Liverpool, was fined $150 and sentenced to three days in jail for theft for stealing items from the Calcutta Walmart on July 25. A charge of drug paraphernalia was dismissed for an incident Feb. 27.
Michael Shane Fowler, 54, Warren, was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with credit for one day served, leaving 29 days to serve for violating his probation for a 2024 case of operating a vehicle impaired and 2025 case of criminal trespass and attempted. He was fined $700, with sentences of nine days and five days to be served at the same time as the probation sentences, for disorderly conduct, inducing panic, aggravated menacing, disorderly conduct and assault amended from domestic violence. Fowler claimed another man hit him on West Clark Street, East Palestine when the other man was the victim, saying the defendant threw items at him, including a plastic trash can, threatened him and attempted other grab him on Jan. 13. On April 12 in East Palestine, he allegedly walked past a residence while intoxicated and antagonized the resident. On April 16, he threatened to kill police officers after exiting an East Palestine residence with a machete and then continued to threaten them during a 90-minute standoff while also armed with a double-edged axe with dozens of residents watching and then evacuated from the area. He was eventually taken into custody with less lethal weapons used to incapacitate him.