Common Pleas

New Cases

County Treasurer, Lisbon vs. Krista Pipes, Thompson Avenue, East Liverpool; tax foreclosure sought for Thompson Avenue property in East Liverpool.

Carrington Mortgage Services LLC, Anaheim, Calif. vs. Michael Dailey, North Lincoln Avenue, East Liverpool; mortgage foreclosure sought.

John Deere Financial FSB, Johnston, Iowa vs. John Petrich, Carbon Hill Road, East Palestine; repossession of equipment sought.

Matrix Financial Services, Charlotte, N.C., vs. Kari Miller, West Pershing Street, Salem, Derek Miller Hull Road, Salineville, Discover Bank, Columbus, County Treasurer, Lisbon; mortgage foreclosure sought.

Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC, Coral Gable, Fla., vs. Jason Howe, Walnut Ridge, Salineville, Mikaela Bentley, Walnut Ridge, Salineville; County Treasurer, Lisbon; mortgage foreclosure sought.

Docket Entries

Lauren Fry, Tanglewood Drive, Salem, and Zachary Fry, Tanglewood Drive, Salem; dissolution granted.

Bryant Naylor, McCain Road, Wellsville, and Cody Naylor, Meadow Drive, Salem; dissolution granted.

Crown Asset Management, LLC, vs. Heather Duncan; judgment of $2,146 awarded to plaintiff.

Court News

LISBON — A status hearing held Wednesday led to another status hearing for a Lisbon man charged for the alleged sexual assault of a child in 2021.

Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam reset a final status for Sept. 12 due to pending results from DNA Diagnostics regarding evidence in the case of Donald J. Williams, 59, Pritchard Avenue, who is charged with rape, a first-degree felony, and gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony.

Washam previously granted a motion by defense attorney Joe King for funding for a DNA expert for DNA analysis at an amount up to $1,500. King said the results of that analysis are still out and King said he was told it could take upwards of weeks.

The jury trial for Williams remained scheduled for Sept. 25. Washam said the possibility of bumping back the trial would be addressed during the next status hearing.

Williams was secretly indicted last year for the alleged sexual assault and was taken into custody in April in Pittsburgh. Despite a reduction by Washam in Williams’ bond from $150,000 cash or surety to $25,000 cash or surety at the request of King, Williams remains in jail.

In other court news:

— A Warsaw man requesting an early release for a sentence handed down in June was denied judicial release by Judge Scott Washam recently. Paul Miller, 29, was sentenced to six months in prison for attempted compelling prostitution and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, both fourth-degree felonies, and importuning, a fifth-degree felony, with credit for three days already served. A charge of possessing criminal tools was dismissed. Miller was accused of soliciting sexual conduct from an undercover Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force agent posing as a 15-year-old female in exchange for $80, driving to Salem on July 25, 2022 for the meeting.

— Robert M. Hoperich, 47, South Lincoln Avenue, Salem entered a plea of guilty to four counts of felony five aggravated possession of drugs and a forfeiture specification. The charges stem from an incident in September of 2022 and January of 2021 when Hoperich was in possession of amphetamine. A sentencing hearing is set for Sept. 21.

— John Kenneth Douglas, 28, Mulberry Street, East Liverpool, entered a guilty plea to third-degree felony burglary and misdemeanor assault. The charges stem from an incident on March 3 when Douglas and another individual kicked in the back door of a Mulberry Street, East Liverpool, residence after an argument about a pizza delivered, then Douglas chased a woman up the stairs, threw her phone and shoved a mattress into her.