Common Pleas

New Cases

Trudy Fletcher, Hess Road, East Liverpool, vs. William Fletcher, Toronto; divorce sought.

Onemain Financial Group, LLC, Columbus, vs. Katlyn Bilbo, Washington Street, Salem; collection sought of $16,650 debt.

Onemain Financial Group, LLC, Columbus, vs. Robert Stem, West Seventh Street, Salem; collection sought of $15,261 debt.

Rebecca Tami, Chestnut Street, Leetonia, vs. Venus Wittenauer, D.O., Inc., East Palestine, and Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Columbus; appeal of claim denial.

Docket Entries

Christopher Durner vs. John Alvin and Mountaineer Construction Co.; judgment to plaintiff, damages to be determined.

Citibank vs. Donald McGrath, et al.; foreclosure vacated, claims dismissed.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary hearing was set Jan. 11 for Joey-Lynn Corfee, 34, Rose Drive, Lisbon, charged with second-degree felonies of aggravated trafficking in drugs and possession of drugs and fifth-degree felonies of falsification and theft. Corfee allegedly possessed 27.34 grams of methamphetamine, which is nine times the bulk amount, during a traffic stop in Columbiana on May 18.

Corfee was also accused of going to the Norfolk Southern assistance center established after the train derailment in East Palestine in February and claimed she lived on Leake Street in East Palestine. She received $3,000 on Feb. 10 and $2,090 for furniture she purchased. She allegedly provided a fake rental agreement with a fictitious landlord for the property and an altered Ohio Edison electric bill as proof of residency.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Nov. 16 for Anthony Michael Beavers, 50, Altoona, Pa., charged with third-degree felony compelling prostitution, fourth-degree felony attempting unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, fifth-degree felony possessing criminal tools and misdemeanor engaging in prostitution for allegedly responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual conduct and activity with a 15-year-old in exchange for $280, arriving in East Palestine on Nov. 6 for the meeting.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Nov. 13 for Dylan Walsh, 22, Lacroft Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with fifth-degree felony breaking and entering and misdemeanor obstructing official business for allegedly entering a Hammond School Road residence in Madison Township on Oct. 7 without permission and allegedly fleeing on foot from a traffic stop on Nov. 7 in St. Clair Township.

Richard Marchese, 60, Noiroeville, Pa., was fined $750 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and a 12-hour online course. Marchese was accused of answering an undercover ad for two females and soliciting sexual conduct with them in exchange for $140, arriving March 5 in East Palestine for the meeting.

A pretrial was set Feb. 8 for Michael Tack, 52, Youngstown, charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for allegedly responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with a female in exchange for $50, arriving in Columbiana on May 20, 2022 for the meeting.

A pretrial was set Feb. 13 for Amber Cataldo, 31, Riverside Avenue, Wellsville, charged with dangerous dog and two counts confinement of vicious dog for incidents with her dog starting on March 28, 2023 when the dog was running at large and bit a child. On April 26, a concerned citizen in Wellsville reported the dog came into their yard and knocked down a 4-year-old child twice. The dog was seen running at large on Sept. 21 and on Oct. 10, the dog bit a Wellsville police officer attempting an arrest on a male for domestic violence.

A pretrial was set Jan. 29 for Caithlynne Godocsik, 34, South Lincoln Avenue, Salem, charged with domestic violence for allegedly attacking a man during a domestic in Salem on Oct. 13.

A pretrial was set Dec. 5 for Billie Thompson, 42, West Washington Street, Lisbon, charged with theft and possessing criminal tools for allegedly concealing several items in her purse and leaving the Calcutta Walmart without paying for $372 worth of merchandise on Oct. 31.

A pretrial was set Jan. 25 for Nicole Dawn Vlaiku, 47, Bandy Road, Alliance, charged with contributing to unruliness or delinquency of a child for allegedly providing her 15-year-old juvenile child with a THC vape pen on Aug. 6 during a visit.

A pretrial was set Feb. 6 for Harli Green, 33, Butler Grange Road, Salem, charged with endangering children for allegedly leaving a small child in an infant car seat in an unlocked vehicle in the Salem Plaza parking lot while she shopped at Tractor Supply on Dec. 19, 2022.

Lonnie Gilbert III, 32, Depot Road, Lisbon, was fined $150 and sentenced to two days in jail, with credit for two days served, for obstructing official business for throwing the fingerprint card on the ground along with the pen while Perry Township police officers were attempting to fingerprint him during his arrest for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs on Oct. 21. He was also fined $920 and sentenced to 90 day in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program for OVI and reasonable control. His driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service.

Lauren Latimer, 33, North Canton, was fined $965 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 84 days suspended and credit for six days served in a driver intervention program for OVI, reasonable control and improper/expired registration. Her driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted. She was permitted to buy out 40 hours community service for $400.

A status hearing was set Feb. 13, with a court trial set Feb. 20, for Deanna Hannigan, 60, Chestnut Street, Leetonia, charged with failure to stop after an accident.

Shannon Baker, 49, Parkview Drive, Columbiana, was fined $300 and sentenced to three days in jail for driving under suspension.

A pretrial was set Jan. 23 for Steven Summers, 48, Vale Street, East Liverpool, charged with driving under suspension

A pretrial was set Feb. 12 for Taylor Horst, 19, Crestview Road, New Waterford, charged with assured clear distance.

A pretrial was set Feb. 12 for Joseph Ross, 24, Ohio Avenue, Salem, charged with use of unauthorized plate and muffler excessive noise.

Rhonda Padilla, 51, state Route 7, New Waterford, was fined $400 for driving under suspension and use of unauthorized plate.

A pretrial was set Feb. 12 for Glenda Haught, 54, Idaho Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with speeding.

A pretrial was set Dec. 19 for Mark Hayes, 58, Grandview Street, East Liverpool, charged with speeding.

A charge of driving under suspension was dismissed against Lewis Andric, 43, Artistic Drive, East Liverpool.

Devontae McKinney, 31, Cleveland, was fined $150 for possessing marijuana.

Aaron Michael Julien, 47, Youngstown, was fined $150 for failure to move to the left for a public safety vehicle.

Zachary Jones, 37, Irish Ridge Road, East Liverpool, was fined $300 for use of unauthorized plate and failure to display valid sticker.

Court News

LISBON — An East Liverpool man accused of causing serious physical harm to a woman last spring received an indefinite sentence of three years to four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to felonious assault.

Robert K. Barrett, 39, West Ninth Street, entered the guilty plea to the second-degree felony in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court. The indefinite sentence means he’ll serve a minimum of three years and then the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections could keep him for another year and a half depending on how he behaves behind bars.

A charge of misdemeanor domestic violence was dismissed as part of the plea deal. He received credit for 225 days already served in jail.

Barrett had been charged for battering the face of a woman in East Liverpool, jumping on her, beating her leg with a laptop battery pack, choking her until she lost consciousness and using her personal mace on her between March 19 and March 22. It was also learned that he made past threats to the victim by allegedly putting a knife to her throat and threatening to kill her with a claw hammer.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Richard P. Smith, 36, Riley Avenue, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and fourth-degree felony receiving stolen property for leading deputies and law enforcement on a high-speed chase after fleeing from the county Municipal Court parking lot in a stolen car on July 6. Sentencing was set for Feb. 2.

— Dennis Quinn, 63, Southeast Boulevard, Salem, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony identity fraud, with sentencing set for Dec. 18. He was originally charged with second-degree felony identity fraud. Quinn was accused of using a female’s personal information over a 12-year period from Dec. 5, 2009 to July 21, 2021 with the intent to make himself out to be the female.

— Thomas Akers, 34, St. George Street, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony attempted tampering with evidence, a lesser offense of third-degree felony tampering with evidence, and misdemeanors of violating a protection order and possessing drug abuse instruments. Sentencing was set for Jan. 26. The misdemeanor charges stem from a traffic stop April 5 in Columbiana when Akers had an active protection order with the passenger of the vehicle. Once at the police station in Columbiana, he was caught with a syringe in his possession.

— Jeffrey Reynolds, 57, Eric Drive, Lisbon, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs and misdemeanor driving under suspension, with sentencing set for Feb. 5. Another OVI charge was dismissed. Reynolds was charged with OVI from a traffic incident April 10, with a previous felony OVI conviction on his record.

— Kristopher Simpson, 28, state Route 7, New Waterford, pleaded guilty to charges from two separate cases, including third-degree felony intimidation, fourth-degree felony domestic violence and misdemeanors of resisting arrest, obstructing official business and OVI. Sentencing was set for Jan. 26. Simpson was accused of making threats against a Salem police officer while on the way to the jail after resisting arrest and refusing orders of police during his arrest for traffic charges on May 14 in Salem. The domestic violence charge stemmed from him physically assaulting a pregnant woman on April 10 in Salem.

— Justin Ginsburg, 42, Twinsburg, was sentenced to nine months in prison for attempted compelling prostitution and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, both fourth-degree felonies. A fifth-degree felony of possessing criminal tools was dismissed. He was deemed a Tier II sex offender with a requirement to register his address with the sheriff’s office. As part of an undercover operation of the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, Ginsburg was accused of soliciting numerous acts of sexual conduct from an agent posing as an adult female and a 15-year-old girl and showed up in Salem on West State Street on Feb. 18, 2022 for the meeting.

— Rebecca Sisco, 35, Pancake Clarkson Road, Rogers, was sentenced to the county jail for 120 days, with credit for 55 days served, leaving a balance of 65 days to serve in jail for violating her probation for aggravated possession of drugs for possessing methamphetamine on Oct. 9, 2021.

— Michael Berry Jr., 41, New Castle, Pa., was ordered to the county jail for 120 days for violating his probation for aggravated possession of drugs for possessing methamphetamine on Dec. 11, 2020.