Common Pleas

New Cases

Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati, vs. Tina Adkins, state Route 45, Lisbon, et al.; foreclosure sought.

Citizens Bank, Riverside, RI, vs. Simon Lang, New England Square, New Waterford; judgment sought for $12,011 debt.

Joshua Ghrist, Main Street, Wellsville, and Lee Ann Ghrist, Elizabeth Street, East Liverpool; dissolution sought.

Marilyn Voss, Camp Drive, Hanoverton, and Donald Foss, Camp Drive, Hanoverton; dissolution sought.

Docket Entries

United Midwest Savings Bank vs. Joan Riehl, et al; foreclosure ordered for East Third Street, Salem property.

EL Municipal

EAST LIVERPOOL — James T. Davis, 57, Oakmont Avenue, pleaded no contest and was found guilty of failure to file application. He was fined $30.

Justin A. Zimmerly, 35, East Garfield Road in East Palestine, pleaded not guilty to possession of marijuana in St. Clair Township on June 1. A pretrial for that charge is set for 12:30 p.m. Aug. 8. He was also charged with no operator’s license second or more and that pretrial date is set for 12:30 p.m. Aug. 11.

Nicole L. Carr, 34, Dresden Avenue, was found guilty of no operator’s license first offense and certificate of registration/validation sticker. She was fined $180 and placed on probation.

Joseph A. Lack, 61, Maine Boulevard, was found guilty of failure to reinstate license first or second in three years and fined $150 and placed on probation. A review is scheduled for 1 p.m. Aug. 19.

Brandon A. Hoschar, 26, Lincoln Ave. has a pretrial date set for 12:45 p.m. Aug. 4 for possessing drug instruments in St. Clair Township on June 3.

Cody R. Moncrief, 27, South Chestnut Street in New Cumberland was found guilty of fictitious license plates and fined $100.

Mark A. Mills, 41, Chester Avenue, has a pretrial date set for 2:45 p.m. Aug. 4 for menacing by stalking in East Liverpool May 30.

James T. Davis, 57, Oakmont Avenue, was found guilty of operation of vehicle at a stop sign and fined $30. A review is scheduled for 1 p.m. Aug. 19.

Court News

LISBON — A former Salem man’s request to get out of prison early was denied, with Columbiana County Common Pleas Judge Scott Washam noting the harm caused to the child victim in the case.

Elton John Elliott, 26, a resident of the Lake Erie Correctional Institution, filed a motion for judicial release from what’s left of his seven-year sentence. In his ruling, Washam wrote about the seriousness of the charges against Elliott and the reasonableness of the sentence.

Elliott pleaded guilty previously to felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and endangering children, a third-degree felony, related to the incident when he was babysitting in May 2018 and physically abused a 3-month old infant at his residence on West Perry Street. The abuse, which was consistent with shaking a baby, resulted in the child ultimately being flown to Akron Children’s Hospital with serious head injuries.

Also in Common Pleas Court, Alexzander C. Jones, 23, North Howard Avenue, Salem, who was sentenced to 27 months in prison for tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a fifth-degree felony; two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, each a fourth-degree felony; and two counts of importuning, a fifth-degree felony, filed an appeal recently with the Seventh District Court of Appeals to challenge his Common Pleas Court sentence. Jones engaged in sexual conduct between Nov. 1, 2020, through Jan. 12, 2021, with a 13-year-old at the time and provided obscene materials to a second teenager, who was 15 years old at the time on Nov. 24, 2020. Then on Jan. 12, 2021, Jones attempted to conceal evidence from investigators.

Benjamin J. Loveridge, 51, West Middlesex, Pa., was sentenced to nine months in prison, with credit for three days served, for attempted compelling prostitution, a fourth-degree felony and lesser included offense to the original compelling prostitution charge, and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a fourth-degree felony. Charges of soliciting and possession of criminal tools were being dismissed. On Aug. 6, Loveridge tried to set up a sexual meeting with someone he believed to be a mother and her 15-year-old daughter in exchange for money, but who was actually an agent with the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force.

Cassidy M. Francis, 23, Warren, pleaded guilty to felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony, with sentencing set on Sept. 8. Francis attempted to strike East Palestine Police Detective Dan Haueter with a vehicle on July 9, 2021 while attempting to flee from police to avoid arrest.

Russell A. Morckel, 55, Carrollton, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for a third-degree felony charge of failure to comply with an order of signal of a police officer. The sentence was ordered served consecutive to time being served now for a Licking County case, with credit for 17 days served. On Sept. 14, 2020, Morckel fled from Columbiana police on South Main Street and state Route 344 where he allegedly reached speeds exceeding 90 mph before entering Leetonia.

Charles L. Schell III, 44, Youngstown, was sentenced to 90 days in jail as a requirement of community control for importuning, a fifth-degree felony, and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a fourth-degree felony. Between June 25 and June 29, 2021, Schell attempted to convince someone he believed to be at least 13 years old, but less than 16 years old, to engage in sexual conduct with him. The person was an undercover law enforcement officer.

Dustin Whaley, 26, South Lincoln Avenue, Salem, was ordered to serve seven days in jail after his intervention treatment plan was dishonorably terminated. He had originally been placed on a three-year intervention program for improperly handling a firearm in a vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon and using weapons while intoxicated. Whaley had a loaded gun inside his pants in his vehicle while intoxicated on Nov. 19, 2020, and reached for the concealed firearm while exiting the vehicle in Lisbon.

Lucas J. Chadbourne, 41, Midland, Pa., was placed on a three-year intervention probation program after pleading guilty to possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony, possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, and a misdemeanor drug paraphernalia charge. Chadbourne had a text conversation with an undercover officer to try to sell drugs or use them to pay for a prostitute and for having a rolled up dollar bill with white powder residue on Aug. 17, 2021.

Ryan Hoschar, 25, last known address Boston Street, Washingtonville, was sentenced to a term of three to four and a half years in prison for burglary, a second-degree felony, endangering children, a misdemeanor, and two counts of violating a protection order, also a felony charge, then ordered to serve a consecutive sentence of six months for possession of a fentanyl-related compound, a fifth-degree felony .On Jan. 20, 2021 Hoschar entered the New Waterford home of Carly Williams, uninvited, when Williams and a child in the home had a protection order against him, then left drug abuse items behind when he departed, including a cut straw and a syringe. Hoschar was also accused of having oxycodone and a substance containing fentanyl in his possession.

Michael T. Boggs, 51, New Garden Avenue, Salem, was sentenced to 36 months in prison, with credit for three days served, and fined $10,000 for attempted illegal manufacture of drugs and aggravated possession of drugs and was given an additional one-year term for a firearm specification. The charges were for methamphetamines he was manufacturing, $437 of drug-related proceeds and a firearm all in his possession on Feb. 26, 2021.

William R. Beeson, 22, state Route 9, Salem, was sentenced to 180 days in jail after his probation for aggravated possession of drugs and carrying a concealed weapon was dishonorably terminated. He received credit for 14 days suspended. The charges were for methamphetamines and a handgun in his possession on Dec. 22, 2018.

David C. Wilson, 37, Warren, was placed under community control for three years for aggravated possession of drugs, with a forfeiture specification dismissed. He possessed methamphetamine on Feb. 7, 2021 and had $2,088 in his possession at the time.

Kayla McCreary, 28, East North Avenue, East Palestine, pleaded guilty to illegal use of supplemental nutrition assistance program or WIC program benefits, a third-degree felony, with sentencing Aug. 5. She was accused of using the benefits not authorized by law from Nov. 1, 2017 to Oct. 31, 2020.

Kara Falkner, 27, Aliquippa, Pa., pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, with sentencing Aug. 5. She obtained or possessed methamphetamine on June 12, 2020.

Jacob Wallace, 29, Kensington, was sentenced to 13 months in jail, with credit for 229 days served, fined $1,350 and had his license suspended for eight years after pleading guilty to two felony counts of operating a vehicle under the influence. A charge of driving under suspension was dismissed. The charges stemmed from incidents on May 8, 2020 and Oct. 14, 2021.

Travis McDevitt, 20, Troy, was found not presently competent to stand trial for obstructing official business and receiving stolen property. Judge Scott Washam said the decision was based on a competency evaluation and relevant information. He’s currently in the custody of Montgomery County Department of Children Services. A status hearing was set for July 7. The charges stemmed from an incident on Sept. 14, 2021 when he had a stolen car in his possession.