Court News
LISBON — A woman who stole money from the Wellsville Volunteer Fire Department over a period of six years was ordered to spend 90 days in the county jail and pay restitution of $28,650 to the fire department.
Shannon Landess, 41, 15th Street, Wellsville, appeared for sentencing recently in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for grand theft, a fourth-degree felony, and telecommunications fraud, a third-degree felony, for the theft of money from March 11, 2016 to Dec. 5, 2022.
The jail term and restitution are part of her sentence which placed her on probation for five years.
Also in Common Pleas Court:
— Thomas Wright, 47, state Route 39, Wellsville, was placed on community control for two years after pleading guilty to failure to provide notice of change of address, a fourth-degree felony, for failing on Sept. 14 to notify the sheriff’s office of his new address, as required of a registered sex offender.
— Timothy Thrasher, 27, Lincoln Avenue, Wellsville, was ordered to spend up to six months at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center in Wintersville and had his probation extended to June 2026 after violating the terms of probation for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. The charge stemmed from his possession of hydrocodone on May 4, 2022.
— Stacie Saracco, 33, 18th Street, Wellsville, had her probation dishonorably terminated for violations and was ordered to serve 365 days in jail, with credit for 218 days served, leaving a balance of 147 days still to serve for aggravated possession of drugs and possession of fentanyl-related compound, both fifth-degree felonies. Saracco possessed methamphetamine and fentanyl on Nov. 2, 2021.
— Eric McFarland, 44, state Route 7, Lisbon, was ordered to spend up to six months at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center in Wintersville after violating the terms of his probation for possession of LSD, a felony. His probation will continue until September 2024. McFarland possessed LSD on Dec. 25, 2019.
— Zachary Willis, 29, Vine Street, Salem, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, with sentencing set for Feb. 26. Charges of resisting arrest and driving under suspension will be dismissed. Willis fled from Perry Township police attempting a traffic stop on June 29 on South Lincoln Avenue at Southridge Drive, driving recklessly at speeds over 100 mph to avoid arrest for an outstanding felony warrant out of Louisville, passing vehicles unsafely and almost causing a crash with other vehicles.
— Molly Jackson, 29, Echo Dell Road, East Liverpool, had her probation continued until April 14, 2027 after being found in violation of the terms for illegal use of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits or WIC program benefits, a third-degree felony. As part of the community control, she’ll have a requirement to participate in drug court. The charge stemmed from illegal use of the program benefits from Sept. 1, 2018 through Aug. 31, 2020.
— Luke Hertweck, 27, Pittsburgh, Pa., was committed to Heartland Behavioral Healthcare in Massillon for treatment after being found at substantial risk of harm to public safety, with the case set for review Feb. 23. Hertweck had been found not guilty by reason of insanity for charges of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and resisting arrest on Oct. 29, 2021 for an Aug. 12, 2020 incident when he fled from police. Hertweck had been in the community, but a report indicated a change in his mental health, resulting in the commitment ruling.
