Common Pleas

New Cases

Shyanne D. Springer, East Liverpool, vs. Jessop L. Kolesar, Aliquippa, Pa., divorce sought.

Docket Entries

Huntington Bank vs. David M. Brown, et al., foreclosure canceled.

Kati Louise Smith, Salem, vs. Gregory Charles Smith, Lisbon, divorce dismissed due to reconciliation.

County Treasurer vs. Jay S. Fraser, et al., delinquent taxes and penalties paid, case dismissed.

Grand Jury

LISBON — Homer S. Linger Jr., 45, West Ninth Street, East Liverpool, was served a secret indictment from September charging him with a misdemeanor petty theft and four counts of arson, each a fourth-degree felony. On Dec. 21, 2019, Linger allegedly set fire to a 1998 GMC box truck belonging to Mark N. Sons, LLC; a 1991 Ford 655C backhoe and a 1999 Ford E-450 ambulance, both belonging to Hissom Roofing and Construction LLC; and a single car garage belonging to Carl Johnson at 229 W. Ninth Street, East Liverpool. Additionally, Linger allegedly took a Garmin GPS, also owned by Hissom.

George A. Giffin, 54, Franklin Avenue, Salem, was served a secret indictment charging him with possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly having the substance on March 1, 2019.

Charles A. Shasteen Jr., 43, U.S. Route 30, Kensington, was served a secret indictment charging him with two counts of cruelty to animals, one a fifth-degree felony, and the other a misdemeanor. Shasteen allegedly caused serious harm to an animal by negligently depriving it with wholesome food and water while in his care on April 4.

Marie L. Whitman, 49, Benton Road, Salem, was served a secret indictment charging him with aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly having methamphetamines on May 8, 2020.

Angela M. Weaver, 33, Sprucevale Road, East Liverpool, was served a secret indictment charging her with aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony, for allegedly having methamphetamines, in excess of the bulk amount, on July 22, 2020.

Lawrence P. Norton, 56, Rochester Road, East Rochester, was served a secret indictment charging him with violating a protection order, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly violating an order on June 12, when he has previously been convicted of violating an order on Sept. 10, 2008.

Giffin, Shasteen, Whitman, Weaver and Norton were all indicted by the grand jury when it met in July.

Court News

LISBON – A Salem man with three cases pleaded guilty in each of them in Common Pleas Court recently. Matthew P. Soldo, 41, Grant Street, Salem, pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, and possession of a fentanyl-related compound, a fifth-degree felony, for drugs he had in his possession on May 16, 2020. For that case he faces up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine in this case. Additionally, in another case Soldo pleaded guilty to violating a protection order, a fifth-degree felony, for which he faces up to a year in prison, a $2,500 fine and a five-year license suspension. That charge is from his actions on Dec. 15, 2020. Finally, in a third case, Soldo pleaded guilty to obstructing justice for helping to hide another person from authorities on Feb. 11. In that case he faces up to an additional year in prison and a $2,500 fine. Sentencing for all three cases is set for Oct. 15.

Municipal

LISBON — In county Municipal Court, Dylan J.K. McElroy, 23, Maple Drive Hill Road, Salineville, was bound over to the grand jury on a charge of having weapons while under a disability, carrying a concealed weapon and improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle for allegedly having an unloaded revolver between the front passenger seat and center console of a vehicle he was riding in on July 14, when he reportedly is on parole.

A July 29 preliminary hearing and pretrial was set for Michael A. Noble, 56, South County Road, Washingtonville, charged with a felony domestic violence and misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, menacing and disorderly conduct. The felony charge is for allegedly harming his girlfriend Lori Ann Barber on July 12, threatening that if she did not move out, she would die and leaving red marks on her face. While police were there, Noble allegedly made gestures toward the officer, called him derogatory names, making it difficult on police to get him into the police cruiser and then threatening when he got out of jail, he would go back with a family member and harm Barber. Noble reportedly has a prior domestic violence conviction from July 1999.

Ryan A. McCauley, 40, Lincoln Avenue, Wellsville, was bound over to the grand jury on charges of resisting arrest, obstructing official business and assault on a peace officer. On July 1, McCauley was allegedly riding his bike down the middle of Clark Avenue in Wellsville and knowing he had a warrant fled from police, riding his bike through yards and then fleeing on foot before he was taken into custody and kicked the door of the patrol car into Patrolman John Shaughnessy.

Shane A. Burkhart, 23, West Main Street, Washingtonville, was bound over to the grand jury on charges of improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle and driving under FRA suspension. On July 12, Burkhart allegedly had a loaded pistol between his seat and the center console of the vehicle.

An Aug. 2 preliminary hearing and pretrial was set for Robert H. Pehanich, 58, Bloomingdale, charged with compelling prostitution, possession of criminal tools and soliciting and engaging in prostitution. Pehanich allegedly responded to an ad on Sunday offering to meet an 18-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl for sex and driving to the meeting location on Wednesday in order to meet up with the alleged prostitutes.

Randy L. Newberry, 62, Morris Road, Lisbon, was sentenced to 180 days in jail, fined $2,400, had his license suspended for three years and required 40 hours community service for OVI first offense, two counts of driving under OVI suspension, left of center, physical control amended from OVI first offense, failure to stop, failure to control, possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana paraphernalia and endangering children. Some of the charges are for Newberry driving while intoxicated on Jan. 4, 2018, others were for having a 10-year-old in the vehicle when he went off the road intoxicated on Dec. 22, 2018, and finally another charge for still continuing to drive on Oct. 23, 2019.

A July 29 pretrial was set for Delmer R. Knauff, 57, Maple Street, Lisbon, charged with OVI first offense, OVI refusal with prior within 20 years, driving under OVI suspension and left of center.

A Sept. 30 pretrial was set for Travis J. Riggs, 39, Old Monroeville Heights, Salineville, charged with fleeing and eluding of a police officer for allegedly accelerating away from two police cruisers attempting to stop him on Commerce Street in Wellsville on Jan. 26, before he wrecked the truck and ran on foot.

Laura R. Stuller, 32, Salem-Alliance Road, Damascus, was credited with a day in jail, sentenced to an additional two days in jail and fined $200 for resisting arrest for running from police when she was told she was going to jail, in through the back door of a West State Street, Salem, home, out the front door and through the woods until she was located getting into a vehicle on the bypass near Georgetown Road on Wednesday.

A Sept. 27 pretrial was set for Allen S. Vancooney, 25, South Union Avenue, Salem, charged with obstructing official business, criminal damaging and two counts of theft. Some of the charges are for allegedly taking a pair of black, neoprene gloves with white skeleton designs and miscellaneous papers, including a registration card, out of the motorcycle belonging to Deanna Stephenson, while she was parked at the Nazarene Church on Rebecca Street in East Palestine on Tuesday. Additionally, that same day he is accused of breaking the rear window of a truck belonging to Jason Veverka, stealing a blue fleece Florida Gators Pro Player jacket from a white Mercedes belonging to Ronald Johnson, changing clothes when police were looking for him and attempting to mislead police by providing fictitious information – a Hard Rock Cafe card bearing the name Jason Pinto.

Michael W. Gasaway, 40, Girard, was fined $250, credited with two days served in jail and required 40 hours community service for disorderly conduct amended from domestic violence for hitting Jessica Gasaway in the face several times and ripping a strap on her clothes on June 27.

Randy L. Carnes, 36, Yeager Drive, Wellsville, was fined $150, credited with two days in jail and required 10 hours community service for disorderly conduct amended from domestic violence for swinging his fists at his father, George Carnes, and striking him in the chest on July 12.

An Aug. 26 pretrial was set for Rusty R. Altman, 48, Cream Ridge Road, Lisbon, charged with criminal trespassing for allegedly being on two properties on state Route 45, Lisbon, Tuesday and reportedly startling the occupants by attempting to open the doorknob and looking through the windows.

Mark E. Jarvis, 57, West Main Street, Salineville, was fined $150 for disorderly conduct after police and EMS responded to his home for a drug overdose on Aug. 29.

Richard L. Dotson, 51, South Union Avenue, Salem, pleaded no contest to obstructing official business for refusing to open the door on Wednesday when police were called due to him pounding on the wall and causing a disturbance. Sentencing is set for Aug. 2 when he has a status conference hearing for a domestic violence charge from January.

Trevor K. Heiney, 32, Broadway Avenue, Wellsville, was fined $1,050, credited with six days in jail and sentenced to an additional 84 days in jail for possession of drugs, theft, driving under a 12-point suspension, hit skip, a stop sign violation and failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer. The driving-related charges are for increasing his speed when Columbiana police attempted to stop him at the intersection of state Routes 14 and 7 on April 17, striking another vehicle after police stopped chasing him and then fleeing on foot on state Route 165 near Waterford Road. The theft charge was for a catalytic converter taken from a 2004 GMC box truck parked near Dan’s Auto Repair on East Taggart Street in East Palestine on Aug. 9. Then on Aug. 12, Heiney had buprenorphine when he was taken into custody on a parole violation.

Cody Mullins, 19, homeless, was fined $150, credited with a day in jail and required 40 hours community service for criminal trespassing for riding his bicycle inside the East Palestine City Park Pool in July of 2020 when the pool was closed due to the coronavirus.

Rachel M. Hill, 32, and Kenneth J. Adams, 37, both of East Euclid Street, Salem, pleaded no contest to theft for failing to scan $101 in merchandise at Walmart on July 3. Sentencing hearings were set for Aug. 12.

An Aug. 23 pretrial was set for Kevin S. Frazier, 39, Michigan Avenue, East Liverpool, cited with failure to stop after an accident, driving under suspension and speeding.

An Oct. 5 pretrial was set for William Blake Royal, 23, Salem-Unity Road, Salem, cited with driving under suspension and speeding.

Zachery J. Dewalt, 33, Grace Street, Alliance, was fined $155 for driving under suspension, speeding and a seat belt violation.

An Aug. 17 pretrial was set for Derek J. Johnson, 33, state Route 45, Lisbon, cited with illegal possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly having a cotton swab with residue and a metal tin container with residue on Tuesday. He was fined $200 for two counts of open container for a Yuengling beer in August 2020 and a Mike’s Harder Black Cherry Lemonade in May.

David M. Ciccone, 59, Struthers, was fined $200 for speeding and distracted driving.

An Aug. 17 pretrial was set for Amanda L. Johnson, 30, East Fifth Street, Salem, cited with possession of drug abuse instruments for allegedly having syringes during a traffic stop on Tuesday.

Matthew L. Tubbs Jr., 39, Boardman, was fined $75 for driving under suspension.