Municipal Court

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Jan 18 for James Chadwick Bollinger, 33, West Martin Street, East Palestine, charged with fourth-degree felonies of theft by deception and falsification, misdemeanor violation of a protection order and improper/expired registration. According to an affidavit filed by an East Palestine police detective, Bollinger allegedly presented altered Holiday Inn invoices to Norfolk Southern totaling $12,451 from Feb. 12 to June 8 this year. The invoices were allegedly altered to reflect a stay by Bollinger and he received compensation for the alleged fraudulent invoices. The protection order violation alleged he got into a woman’s car and refused to get out on Sept. 19 while an active protection order was in place against him.

A pretrial was set Jan. 11 for Larry Ellis Jr., 38, state Route 45, Lisbon, charged with domestic violence for allegedly holding a knife in his hand and threatening a woman with it on Sept. 28.

Thomas Holman, 42, Hammond School Road, Wellsville, was fined $200 and sentenced to 20 days in jail, with credit for 12 days served, for violating a protection order after being found standing on the porch of a residence that’s the subject of a protection order against him on Sept. 23 in Wellsville.

A pretrial was set Jan. 18 for Sheri Hartley, 54, Fairfield Avenue, Columbiana, charged with disorderly conduct for alleged disorderly behavior in the hallway of Columbiana High School after a volleyball game when she was arguing, pointing, running and yelling at another woman on Sept. 26.

A pretrial was set Dec. 14 for Wilbert Faulk, 64, Youngstown, charged with theft for allegedly entering a woman’s porch, rummaging through her belongings and leaving with an American flag on Sept. 22 in East Liverpool.

Tai Kotas, 42, Vine Street, Leetonia, was fined $200 and sentenced to 12 days in jail, with credit for 12 days served, for illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for possessing a glass meth pipe and digital scale with residue in her purse during a traffic stop when she was a passenger on Jan. 7 in Columbiana.

A pretrial was set Jan. 18 for Justin David Brinkley, East Main Street, East Palestine, charged with failure to remove junk vehicles from an East Palestine property on March 30.

A pretrial was set Nov. 6 for Patrick Figley, 36, Cyland Avenue, East Palestine, charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs first offense and speeding.

Justin Price, 20, Warren, was fined $545 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for a misdemeanor charge of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, amended from a felony, and a turn signal violation. Charges of stop sign and speeding were dismissed. His driver’s license was suspended for 90 days, with driving privileges granted. He was permitted to buy out 50 hours of community service for $500. The charges stemmed from Price fleeing from police attempting a traffic stop on Sept. 20 in Perry Township.

A pretrial was set Jan. 22 for David Abbadi, 26, Youngstown, charged with failure to stop after an accident, reasonable control and no seat belt. He was fined $130 for driving under suspension and no seat belt.

John Powell, 59, Ravine Street, East Liverpool, was fined $300 for driving under suspension, open container and loud exhaust.

Kennith Jordan, 50, East Pidgeon Road, Salem, was fined $450 for left of center, failure to control, speeding, marked lanes and possessing marijuana.

A pretrial was set Dec. 12 for Eric Slagle, 31, Berry Road NE, Kensington, charged with driving under suspension and a stop sign violation.

A pretrial was set Jan. 18 for Kathy Tudor, 42, Sunnyside Street, East Liverpool, charged with speeding and traffic control devices.

Jasmine McCall, 28, Elyria, was fined $100 for possessing marijuana.

Shelby Naylor, 30, West State Street, Salem, was fined $130 for driving under suspension and invalid sticker.

Marcos Quiroz, 35, West Pine Lake Road, Salem, was fined $50 for driving under suspension.

Daya Pethel, 65, Lisbon Street, East Liverpool, was fined $200 for speeding in a school zone and a red light violation.

Ramier Parker, 21, Shadylane Drive, East Liverpool, was fined $125 for permit violation and speeding.

Steven Voltmann, 33, Pickering Street, East Liverpool, was fined $100 for driving under suspension.

Jack Dillon, 30, Boardman, was fined $250 for driving under suspension, unauthorized plate and expired plate.

Mike Sprankle, 18, Beaver, Pa., was fined $50 for reasonable control.

Common Pleas

New Cases

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Merrill Rose, Patriot, Ohio, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for West Sixth Street, East Liverpool property.

Michael Ross, Stagecoach Road, East Liverpool, vs. Brittany Ross, Wyoming Avenue, East Liverpool; divorce sought.

First National Bank of Pennsylvania, Hermitage, Pa., vs. Mark Strabala, Woodland Avenue, Salem; collection sought of $8,760 debt, plus $1,130 interest, $43 late fees and $2,405 repossession fees for vehicle debt after auction.

Docket Entries

Lindsay Stroud vs. Kaleb Stroud; divorce granted.

James Shasteen, et al. vs. Caroline Rudish, et al.; case settled and dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. unknown heirs Kenneth Zeigler, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure ordered for state Route 45, Salem property.

County Treasurer vs. Lucinda Leamer, et al.; delinquent taxes paid, case dismissed.

Richelle Shetler, et al. vs. Gregory Cunningham, et al.; case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Sammy Barth, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure ordered for old state Route 558, Salem property.

JP Morgan Chase Bank vs. Sidney Wolfe, et al.; judgment vacated, case dismissed.

Grand Jury

LISBON — Jeremy Blanchard, 32, Midland, Pa., was served Thursday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for possession of cocaine, a fourth-degree felony, aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, and possession of drugs, a misdemeanor, for allegedly possessing psilocyn, clonazepam and cocaine in an amount equal or greater than 5 grams but less than 10 grams.

Court News

LISBON — A woman already in prison for four to six years on multiple drug possession counts from a 2021 case faced sentencing in two additional drug cases, adding to her prison time.

Chelsea Madison, 47, Annesley Road, East Liverpool, recently entered guilty pleas to charges in cases from 2022 and 2023 and received immediate sentencing.

For the 2022 case, Madison pleaded guilty to second-degree felony aggravated trafficking in drugs, fifth-degree felonies of aggravated possession of drugs and possession of cocaine, all with a specification for forfeiture of money from a drug case.

She was sentenced to a total of three to four and a half years in prison, received credit for 11 days in jail, was ordered to forfeit $632 and received a mandatory fine of $7,500 for possessing psilocyn, cocaine and methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater to five times bulk but less than 50 times bulk and packaging or attempting to sell methamphetamine on Oct. 7, 2021. A second-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs charge was dismissed.

For the 2023 case, Madison pleaded guilty to two counts aggravated possession of drugs, one a third-degree felony and one a fifth-degree felony, and possession of drugs, a misdemeanor, and was immediately sentenced to 12 months in prison.

The sentence for the 2023 case was ordered served consecutive to the 2021 case. She was also fined $5,000 and ordered to forfeit $627. The case involved her possession of amphetamine, buprenorphine and an amount of methamphetamine equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk on April 1, 2022.

Sentencing in the 2021 case occurred in May 12.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Larissa Ritteger, 38, East Martin Street, East Palestine, was sentenced to 14 days in the county jail, with credit for one day served, after pleading guilty to receiving stolen property, a lesser included misdemeanor offense, for possessing a catalytic converter belonging to Fred Hurst on Nov. 4, 2021. She was originally charged with a felony.

— Amanda Alba, 32, Minerva, was placed on intervention for two years after pleading guilty to fifth-degree felonies of aggravated possession of drugs and possession of fentanyl-related compound for possessing fluorofentanyl and fentanyl-related compound on May 27, 2022.

— Mark E. Durbin, 55, Warren, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; 18 months for possession of heroin, a third-degree felony; 18 months for possession of a fentanyl-related compound, a third-degree felony; and 18 months for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony; to be served concurrently. Durbin was found in possession of a dangerous drug and paraphernalia and determined to have impaired an investigation into such.

— Nicholas W. Jordan, 23, Niles, was sentenced to 150 days in jail, placed on three years probation and designated as a Tier II sex offender for attempted compelling prostitution, a fourth-degree felony, and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a fifth-degree felony. Misdemeanor charges of engaging in prostitution and possession of criminal tools were dismissed.

— Miguel Guerrero, 27, Monroeville, Pa., was to 30 months in prison for third-degree felony burglary for entering a home in Columbiana County April 26, 2019, to commit theft.

— Joseph L. Murphy, 44, Taylor Road, Negley, was placed on two years probation for two counts of non-support of dependents, both fifth-degree felonies, for failing to support two children from December 2020 through December 2022.

— Scott J. Francis,48, state Route 154, Elkton, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and fined $5,000 for aggravated trafficking in drugs, a third-degree felony. A charge of aggravated possession of drugs was dismissed. Francis sold methamphetamine in bulk Aug. 10, 2021.

— Cory M. Haueter, 37, Georgetown Road, Salem, was seven months in prison for aggravated possession of drugs for possession of methamphetamine Jan. 26, 2021; and July 8, 2021.

— John McCandless, 66, Greenville, Pa., was sentenced to 150 days in jail for attempted compelling prostitution, a fourth-degree felony, and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a fourth-degree felony, and classified as a Tier II sex offender.

— Michael E. Berry Jr., 41, New Castle, Pa., was placed on two years intervention for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. He was found in possession of methamphetamine Dec. 11, 2020.

— Kayla M. Fullerton, 30, Chester, W.Va., was placed on a treatment plan for three years for possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony.

— Kaiden M. Nagel, 19, Brenda Lane, Columbiana, was placed on treatment plan for three years for fourth-degree felony burglary for entering an occupied structure to commit theft Jan. 22, 2023.