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Grand Jury
LISBON -- A Leetonia man accused of allegedly swinging a linked metal chain at the head of a sheriff's deputy after an incident at the downtown courthouse in Lisbon was one of 13 defendants openly indicted by the Columbiana County Grand Jury.
Shane L. Linden, 47, Crestview Road, was charged with felonious assault, a first-degree felony, and misdemeanors of resisting arrest and obstructing official business for allegedly swinging a linked metal chain at a sheriff deputy's head and being tased on North Market Street, then refusing to put his hands behind his back and resisting arrest, all after the Oct. incident at the courthouse.
According to the affidavit, Linden had been escorted out of Common Pleas Court and the courthouse after demanding to see a judge. While walking out, he allegedly told a deputy to take off his badge so they could fight and then turned around and left quickly.
A deputy located him in front of the Eastern Ohio Correction Center, which is north of the courthouse and Lisbon Village Hall, and started questioning him about the incident, then Linden took off running and the deputy pursued him. That's when Linden allegedly turned around swinging a linked metal chain at the deputy's head, then was tased and resisted officers.
The county grand jury met for two days and issued 13 open indictments and 23 secret indictments on Wednesday.
Other defendants issued open indictments included:
-- William R. Payton, 21, Bouquet Street, East Liverpool, felonious assault, a second-degree felony, fourth-degree felonies of strangulation and two counts domestic violence and misdemeanors of obstructing official business and resisting arrest. Payton allegedly threatened to kill a woman and went after her with a kitchen knife at a Middleton Township property on Aug. 10 and then was accused of trying to harm the same woman again on Aug. 15, with a previous domestic violence conviction on his record, and then also fleeing from deputies who came to arrest him on an active warrant at a Negley property and then becoming physically resistive.
-- Zachary Shawn Rexroad, 26, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, fourth-degree felony strangulation, fifth-degree felony domestic violence and misdemeanors of unlawful restraint and criminal trespass for allegedly pulling a woman from the couch where she fell on the floor, then got on top of her and began strangling her by the neck to the point she could not breathe and unlawfully restrained her on Oct. 7 at an apartment in East Liverpool. Affidavits said the domestic violence charge was elevated to a felony because the defendant allegedly knew the victim was pregnant. He had been trespassed from the property in July.
-- Kayla R. Mennell, 30, last known address Grant Street, Rogers, three counts fourth-degree felony assault and misdemeanors of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct for allegedly kicking two East Liverpool police officers while being placed under arrest for disorderly conduct after being found drunk trying to get into an apartment and not lowering her voice when warned several times on Sept. 8, according to a police affidavit. After being taken to East Liverpool City Hospital when she bashed her head in the cruiser several times after her arrest, she allegedly spit into the mouth of a fire department employee.
-- Thomas Eugene Powell, 30, Dewey Avenue, East Liverpool, second-degree felony burglary and misdemeanors of aggravated menacing and criminal damaging for allegedly entering a home unwelcome and in an aggressive manner, knocking down blinds, throwing water on a homeowner, raising a fist and threatening him on Aug. 26 in East Liverpool. He also allegedly ripped off a curtain from the porch deck, knocked curtains off of the glass door and slammed a pottery dish to the ground, shattering it.
-- Scott Eric Kopras, 34, Bradshaw Avenue, East Liverpool, third-degree felony strangulation and misdemeanors of assault and unlawful restraint for allegedly assaulting a woman and strangling her in East Liverpool on Sept. 22. According to the police affidavit, the woman was in the parking lot of East Liverpool City Hospital and afraid to go inside after the defendant allegedly slapped her in the eye and started punching her with his fist, then grabbed her by the throat and began to strangle her. She said she couldn't breathe as she begged him to stop, he let her go briefly and then started punching her in the head until she was covered in blood, the affidavit said. She allegedly felt that she was not allowed to leave.
-- David Robert Boyd, 30, Cora Street, East Liverpool, fifth-degree felony unauthorized use of vehicle for allegedly failing to return a U-Haul truck to Ace Hardware in St. Clair Township on Oct. 4.
-- Joseph D. Haynes, 46, North Pearl Street, Columbiana, fourth-degree felony disrupting public service and misdemeanors of aggravated menacing, assault and criminal trespass. On May 2 in Salem, Haynes allegedly came to a woman's residence after previously being trespassed from the home, allegedly threw her to the ground, spit in her face and pulled her hair, causing harm to her back, neck and face. He also allegedly took her cell phone and threw it in an attempt to stop her from calling for help.
-- Kayla Denise Clingerman, 40, listed as homeless, formerly Salem, misdemeanors of aggravated menacing, obstructing official business and disorderly conduct for allegedly threatening a police officer after being transported to the Columbiana County jail, County Home Road, Lisbon on Sept. 26 for a disorderly incident in Salem on Sept. 25.
-- Davilynn Tasea Mitchell, 35, Youngstown, trespass in a habitation when a person is present or likely to be present, a fourth-degree felony, for allegedly trespassing in an attached garage at a residence in St. Clair Township on Sept. 15.
-- Michael B. Delp, 49, East Eighth Street, Salem, third-degree felony tampering with evidence and misdemeanors of illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under suspension for allegedly smashing a glass pipe with burnt residue and eating a baggie of white powder during a traffic stop on July 27 in Salem.
-- Kevin Wayne Short, 53, last known address Desellem Road, Lisbon, two counts of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them-OVI, a third-degree felony, for a traffic stop on Aug. 28 when he was allegedly impaired in Lisbon, with a record that included a felony OVI conviction.
Municipal
LISBON -- In Columbiana County Municipal Court, cases against Mark Allen Douglas, 42, Henry Avenue, East Liverpool, were bound over to the county grand jury for third-degree felony domestic violence, obstructing official business and unlawful restraint for allegedly striking a woman, giving her a black eye and possibly a broken nose, locking her in the house and not letting her leave and then lying to police about whether she was inside the East Liverpool residence, all on Oct. 27.
A preliminary hearing was set Nov. 10 for Richard L. Randolph Jr., 42, Orchard Grove, East Liverpool, charged with fifth-degree felony violation of a protection order for allegedly harassing a protected person via text messages on April 6, 2026 in Columbiana County.
A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Nov. 10 for Trevor K. Heiney, 37, Youngstown, charged with fifth-degree felony breaking and entering and misdemeanor obstructing official business for allegedly breaking into a Wellsville property and running from police on Sept. 14.
Adam Wiles, 30, North Market Street, Lisbon, was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for assault amended from domestic violence, with 20 hours community service ordered. He was accused of striking a woman in the face on Oct. 18 in Lisbon.
Chelsea Rose Baker, 36, Laura Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $300 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with credit for eight days served, leaving a balance of 22 days still to serve for making false alarms and disorderly conduct. The disorderly charge involved an incident in East Liverpool on Aug. 19 when she also called East Liverpool police to report a man stole her credit card and used it at Tri State Cab on Aug. 18. The investigation revealed that she used her card at Tri State Cab on Aug. 17 and 19, with no unauthorized charges occurring. She reported an offense that did not occur.
Gregory B. Weingart, 30, Butler, Pa., was fined $580 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for aggravated menacing, failure to control amended from failure stop after accident, reasonable control and no seat belt, with 40 hours community service ordered. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim. Weingart pointed a firearm at a woman and then cocked the firearm while still pointing it at her and holding her down on July 19 in Salem
A pretrial was set Jan. 6 for John R. Graham, 43, North Georgetown, charged with assault and theft for allegedly removing the keys from a man's vehicle and throwing them in a parking lot and then pushing the man as he attempted to retrieve his keys on Aug. 24 in Knox Township.
Sophia J. McDonald, 19, Valley Road, Salem, was fined $150 and given credit for one day served in jail for disorderly conduct amended from assault for slapping a man and grabbing him by the neck and striking him with a piece of fencing on July 9 in Butler Township.
Douglas Wayne Jurkowski, 44, Hobe Sound, Fla., was fined $1,000 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 89 days suspended and credit for one day served in jail, for possessing criminal tools, with 20 hours community service ordered. An education course was already completed. A charge of engaging in prostitution was dismissed by the prosecutor due to evidentiary issues. Jurkowski had been accused of responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for $80 for half an hour and $140 for one hour to be paid by electronic means, then arriving in East Palestine on April 19, 2026 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.
James C. Bollinger, 36, West Martin Street, East Palestine, was fined $750 and sentenced to 60 days in jail, with credit for 19 days served, leaving 41 days still to serve in jail for criminal damaging and two counts of disorderly conduct amended from domestic violence, along with violating his probation for two 2024 cases and a 2025 case for attempted and two counts of violating protection orders. On March 2, 2026, he had a physical altercation with a woman in her car in East Palestine, spitting at her and striking her in the side of the face. On Aug. 18, 2026 in East Palestine, he trashed a woman's house and caused injury to her leg before fleeing.
Brandon S. Gust, 28, West Washington Street, Lisbon, was fined $650 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 83 days suspended and credit for seven days served, for possession of drug abuse instrument, driving under suspension and disorderly conduct, with 20 hours community service ordered. A charge of failure to yield was dismissed. Gust possessed a used needle syringe when he was placed into custody for an arrest warrant on Oct. 1 in Salem. On June 22, 2026, he was intoxicated and kicked the door of a business, alarming the shop owner in Salem.
Meghan McElroy, 33, Maple Hill Road, Salineville, was fined $530 and sentenced to 20 days in jail, with credit for six days served, leaving 14 days to still serve for obstructing official business, resisting arrest, no seat belt and two counts of driving under suspension. On Oct. 29 in Washington Township, she fled into the woods when deputies approached the vehicle she was in and when they found her, she attempted to pull away.
A pretrial was set Jan. 4 for Nicholas Dalton Desimone, 20, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with theft and criminal damaging for allegedly stealing three decorative bows and multiple pumpkins from an East Liverpool property and ripping trees and bushes from other East Liverpool properties, all on Nov. 3.
A pretrial was set Jan. 4 for Misty Lynn Tice, 43, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with obstructing official business for allegedly telling police items in her bag were from a relative's house when police learned multiple pumpkins and decorative bows in her bag were stolen on Nov. 3 in East Liverpool.
A pretrial was set Jan. 5 for Scott Willie Knight, 28, Spruce Street, Columbiana, charged with criminal damaging and disorderly conduct for allegedly being intoxicated and trying to punch a man, but missing, and for punching and breaking a window in the door of an apartment, all on Nov. 3 in East Palestine.
Jena Kathlene Whittington, 33, 18th Street Heights, Wellsville, was fined $250 and sentenced to 10 days in jail, with credit for one day served, leaving a balance of nine days to serve for theft for stealing 69 items valued at $628 from the Calcutta Walmart on Sept. 7.
A pretrial was set Jan. 5 for Kyle Vincent Poyssick, 26, Austintown, charged with unauthorized use of motor vehicle, obstructing official business, driving under suspension, reckless operation and speeding for allegedly taking a woman's vehicle without permission, avoiding an officer attempting a traffic stop and committing traffic offenses on March 24 in East Palestine.
Brook B. Hunter, 34, Berlin Center, was fined $150 and given credit for two days served in jail for criminal trespass for coming onto a property in Salem on June 7 after being previously trespassed from the property in February.
Nicholas Andrew Kempf, 35, North Street, Salineville, was fined $790 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 170 days suspended and credit for four days served, leaving a balance of six days to serve for operating a vehicle impaired, open container and failure to stop after an accident. Charges of OVI breath, failure to stop after an accident, marked lanes, traffic control devices, turn signal violation, littering from vehicle and two counts of failure to control were dismissed. His license was suspended for two years and she was ordered to complete 30 hours community service.
Brian M. Niznik, 54, Struthers, was fined $1,405 and sentenced to 20 days in jail, with credit for 19 days served, leaving one day to serve for OVI, driving under suspension, turn signal violation and open container. His license was suspended for one year.
A pretrial was set Jan. 12 for Devon A. Oliver, 29, Main Street, Leetonia, charged with OVI second offense, OVI refusal with prior within 20 years, driving under suspension, failure to stop after an accident and reasonable control.
A pretrial was set Dec. 16 for Tammy F. Kent, 48, Day Road, Lisbon, charged with OVI first offense and marked lanes.
A disorderly conduct charge against Kirk R. Bloss, 67, Alliance, was dismissed. He was accused of allegedly sending a letter to a protected person on Oct. 24, 2025 in Butler Township.
Richard R. Vecchio, 64, state Route 164, Lisbon, received credit for 16 days served in jail for violating his probation for two 2025 cases for disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.