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Municipal Court

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a case was bound over to the county grand jury against David Shortt, 58, McDonald, charged with a third-degree felony of compelling prostitution, a fourth-degree felony of attempted illegal sexual conduct with a minor, and two fifth-degree felonies of importuning and possessing criminal tools. An affidavit filed with the court alleged that Shortt used his cell phone to solicit sexual conduct from an undercover Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force agent posing as a 15-year-old female for an agreed-upon price of $140 and showed up in Salem on July 21 for the meeting. The agent noted in the affidavit that Shortt was employed as a chaplain for the United States Department of Veteran Affairs and had been a reverend for the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Aug. 4 for Richard McCurdy, 20, Youngstown, charged with a second-degree felony of aggravated trafficking in drugs and a misdemeanor of drug paraphernalia, and for Abby Corson, 19, Rome, charged with a fifth-degree felony of permitting drug abuse and misdemeanors of obstructing official business and drug paraphernalia, both for an incident July 28 in East Palestine. Corson was the passenger in a vehicle driven by McCurdy during a traffic stop when 79.76 grams of methamphetamine was located, packaged in three separate baggies, along with digital scales. The affidavit said the vehicle was under Corson’s control and she provided false and misleading information to investigators, saying she and the driver, Richard McCurdy, arrived at the location by accident even though the address was displayed on the GPS on McCurdy’s phone. An investigation revealed the driver, McCurdy, was bringing methamphetamine to sell to a person in East Palestine.

A preliminary hearing was set Aug. 4 for James Strait, South Lincoln Avenue, Salem, charged with a third-degree felony of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and a fifth-degree felony of obstructing official business for allegedly failing to stop on March 25 when Columbiana Police activated lights and sirens to stop his vehicle on state Route 14, traveling at high rates of speed with no lights on shortly after midnight. The pursuit was terminated due to the alleged disregard for public safety due to the high rate of speed and lack of lights.

Ivan Rosado, 35, Campbell, was fined $750 and ordered to complete 20 hours community service for engaging in prostitution and possession of criminal tools for responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual conduct with a female in exchange for $140, arriving in East Palestine on April 24 for the meeting with his phone.

A pretrial was set Aug. 11 for Scott Bratt, 39, Sandusky, charged with violation of a protection order for allegedly coming to a woman’s Riffle Road, Rogers residence on July 26 and engaging in a verbal altercation with her after an active protection order was put in place against him by the victim on July 20.

A pretrial was set Sept. 12 for John Chaffin, 33, state Route 154, Rogers, charged with obstructing official business for allegedly failing to make himself known or following commands when county drug agents were executing a narcotics search warrant at his residence on July 26. He was located inside a bathroom and was refusing to come out.

A pretrial was set Aug. 4 for Elizabeth Adkins, 28, South Lincoln Avenue, Lisbon, charged with domestic violence for a dispute on July 27 in Lisbon when she allegedly assaulted Steven Pickens who had multiple scratches and cuts on his body. She was also fined $30 for no seat belt from a 2018 traffic stop.

A pretrial was set Aug. 11 for Alan Summers, 55, West Egypt Road, Minerva, charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs third offense, following too close, no seat belt and failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer for allegedly fleeing from a traffic stop on state Route 11 on July 26 after being seen less than one car length away from another vehicle while entering the highway. Summers allegedly continued for six miles until one tire was deflated with stop sticks and was found to have a felony warrant through Columbiana County.

Michael Higgins, 46, Stagecoach Road, East Liverpool, was fined $200 for assault for pushing a fellow inmate to the ground at the county jail, getting on top of him and striking him multiple times in the head with his fists.

A pretrial was set Sept. 8 for Eric M. Kibler, 34, Newton Falls, charged with theft for allegedly stealing a debit card from an East Palestine residence on June 9 and using the card to withdraw $200, with a $2 fee, from an ATM, also in East Palestine.

A theft charge was dismissed without prejudice against Jakob Bell Sr., 32, Campbell Road, Hanoverton, at the request of the prosecutor due to the defendant being in prison. Bell had been accused of stealing multiple items from a state Route 172, East Rochester property on April 20.

A pretrial was set Aug. 16 for Danaielle Bowers, 31, North Pleasant Drive, East Palestine, charged with possession of drugs for allegedly illegally possessing the drug Buprenorphine in her purse on Sept. 9, 2021 when she was arrested on a warrant at the Elkrun Township building on state Route 154, Lisbon.

A pretrial was set Aug. 2 for Cody Hostetter, 21, North Pleasant Drive, East Palestine, charged with illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a baggie of crystal-like substance in his backpack during a traffic stop on July 26 in Salem.

A pretrial was set Sept. 22 for Shannon Cunning, 45, Lincoln Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with driving under suspension and loud exhaust.

A pretrial was set Oct. 27 for Chara Gray, 33, Alliance, charged with driving under suspension and a turn signal violation.

Beth Gander, 58, Youngstown, was fined $100 for driving under suspension. Another driving under suspension charge was dismissed.

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