Common Pleas

New Cases

Sandra Kelly Hughes, Oxford, Ga., vs. Ronald Kelly, Allison Street, East Liverpool, and Yellow Creek Casting Co., Inc., Fife Coal Road, Wellsville; breach of fiduciary duties claim regarding operating of Yellow Creek Casting, appointment of provisional director to manage YCC sought.

Docket Entries

Amy Lynn Scott vs. Clifford Scott Jr.; divorce granted.

Samantha Fickle vs. Tyler Fickle; divorce granted.

Salem Community Hospital vs. Anthony Sernicola; garnishment for Prop Logistics LLC dismissed.

Westfield Insurance Company vs. Joanne Grismore; $6,313 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Freedom Mortgage Corporation vs. Donald J. Snyder III, et al.; foreclosure complaint dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. G. Kirk Miller, et al.; Dale Property Services Penn dismissed as defendant.

Leonard McAfee, et al. vs. Shannon Flauto; case settled and dismissed.

Court News

LISBON — In Columbiana County Common Pleas Court, Christopher Nixon, 44, New Cumberland, W.Va., was sentenced to seven months in prison, with credit for 182 days already served in jail, after pleading guilty to fifth-degree felony unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance and misdemeanors of possessing drug abuse instruments, illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts obstructing official business for having two explosive devices and a digital scale with residue during a traffic stop in Lisbon Feb. 6.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Jeremy Barrett, 44, Polk, Pa., pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony attempted compelling prostitution, amended from compelling prostitution, and to fourth-degree felony attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Charges of fifth-degree felony possessing criminal tools and misdemeanor engaging in prostitution will be dismissed. Sentencing was set for Oct. 19. Barrett was accused of soliciting sexual activity in exchange for money from an undercover agent advertising an adult female and a 15-year-old girl on a known prostitution website, with Barrett arriving Nov. 5, 2022 in East Palestine for the meeting.

— Jon Huff, 37, Youngstown, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony attempted compelling prostitution, amended from compelling prostitution, and to misdemeanor engaging in prostitution, with sentencing set for Nov. 8. A possessing criminal tools charge will be dismissed. Huff made arrangements through an undercover ad placed by law enforcement to have sexual conduct with an adult female and watch activities between the adult female and a juvenile female in exchange for money. He drove to East Palestine on Sept. 21 for the meeting.

— William Denials, 39, Beaver Falls, Pa., was placed on probation for four years, but ordered to serve 90 days in the county jail during sentencing for fourth-degree felony attempted compelling prostitution, amended from compelling prostitution, and fourth-degree felony attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Charges of possessing criminal tools and engaging in prostitution will be dismissed. Denials solicited sexual conduct from an undercover agent posing as a juvenile in exchange for money on Aug. 30, 2022.

— Carmen Stoics, 19, Pancake Clarkson Road, Rogers, was ordered to serve up to six months at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center in Wintersville as part of his probation after being placed on community control for three years for burglary, a third-degree felony, for trespassing on a property to commit theft on Sept. 5, 2022. The court entry for his sentencing said he told the judge he sold the stolen property to buy drugs.

Grand Jury

LISBON — A Warren man accused of stealing money from a woman over the course of a year was served Tuesday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury.

John Bartos, 40, was charged with fifth-degree felony theft for allegedly depriving Kimberly Salmen of $2,500 from Feb. 22, 2022 to March 15, 2023.

Also served with a secret indictment was Danielle Shoemaker, 44, New Springfield, charged with fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs for allegedly possessing methamphetamine on April 1, 2022.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Aug. 21 for a Salem man charged with three felony counts of assault on a peace officer after an incident at Fresh Mark last week when he allegedly resisted arrest.

Christopher Hyler, 34, last known address Depot Road, Salem, was charged with the three fourth-degree felony assault charges and a misdemeanor of resisting arrest.

According to an affidavit, the Columbiana County Drug Task Force, Perry Township Police and the Adult Parole Authority responded to Fresh Mark on Aug. 11 to conduct a warrant arrest on Hyler. Hyler allegedly bit the finger of an officer, causing the finger to go numb, while the officer was attempting to stop him from spitting on an Adult Parole Authority officer. Hyler also allegedly kicked at a Perry Township officer while actively resisting arrest.

Jarrell Sloan, 48, 14th Street, Wellsville, was fined $500 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with credit for one day served, for obstructing official business after failing to comply with police orders to come to the door when the Columbiana County Drug Task Force and Columbiana County Special Response Team arrived to execute a search warrant on Aug. 14 on Commerce Street, Wellsville. Sloan shut the curtains and placed a wooden stick in the track of the sliding glass door so it could not be opened, then stayed concealed in a back bedroom for over five minutes.

Jason Carter Nelson, 42, Akron, was fined $950 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 178 days suspended and credit for two days served for engaging in prostitution, possession of criminal tools, and drug paraphernalia. He was ordered to forfeit $13 to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. He was also ordered to complete 50 hours community service and a 12-hour online preventing prostitution course. He was accused of responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and requesting sexual conduct in exchange for $20 and methamphetamine, driving to East Palestine for the meeting on June 4, 2022. When arrested, he allegedly had more than five grams of methamphetamine, $13 in cash, and four meth pipes in his possession.

A domestic violence case was dismissed without prejudice against Michael Harroff, 41, Jimtown Road, East Palestine, at the request of the prosecutor because the victim’s whereabouts were unknown. Costs were taxed to the state. Harroff was accused of assaulting a woman in a vehicle on state Route 170 in Unity Township and threatening to kill her earlier this year.

Kolton J. Smith, 25, Winona Road, Salem, was fined $250 and sentenced to 90 days in jail for telecommunications harassment for continuing to contact a woman on Dec. 9, 2022 through someone else’s social media account after she blocked his account and told him to stop contacting her. The sentence is to be served at the same time as two cases from 2021 and a 2023 case.

Sue Leclerc, 41, East Fifth Street, Salem, was fined $250 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for disorderly conduct, amended from domestic violence, for pointing a firearm, later identified as a pellet gun, at a man after an argument on Nov. 9, 2022 in Salem.

A pretrial was set Nov. 14 for Karl Rothacker, age not listed, Punta Gorda, Fla., charged with failure to register vacant structure and failure to pay monitoring fee for a vacant structure in the city of Salem. The charges relate to a building at 156 S. Lincoln Ave., Salem, also known as the CVS building, for Rothacker allegedly failing to register or pay the fee for the vacant structure in January.

Alexander Schnarrenberger, 27, Duquesne Street, Columbiana, was fined $920 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs and speeding. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service. His driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted.

Thomas Gaitan III, 48, San Antonio, Texas, was fined $925 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for OVI and left of center. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and his driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted.

A pretrial was set Nov. 2 for Cody Reckner, 28, West Wilson Street, Salem, charged with driving under suspension and speeding.

Howard Williams, 20, Orchard Grove, East Liverpool, was fined $50 for unsafe vehicle, amended from assured clear distance.

Richard Oshsenbine, 45, Massillon, was fined $180 for driving under suspension and loud exhaust.