Common Pleas

New Cases

Mari Montgomery, Bye Road, East Palestine, vs. James Montgomery, Darlington, Pa.; divorce sought.

Dynamic Leasing, LTD., state Route 7, New Waterford, vs. Robert Householder, Hess Road, East Liverpool; damages sought over crash involving company vehicle and loose cattle in 2023.

Kent State University, care of state of Ohio, Columbus, vs. Aimee Kaltenbach, also known as Aimee Soroka, South Main Street, Columbiana; collection sought of $7,488 debt.

Ally Bank, West Jacksonville, Fla., vs. Jeffrey Dean, East 10th Street, Salem; collection sought of $32,378, plus $145 late charges and $2,179 finance charges, along with possession of 2019 Cadillac XT5.

Kent State University, care of state of Ohio, Columbus, vs. Amanda Guinn, Whinnery Road, Hanoverton; collection sought of $3,286 debt.

Docket Entries

John Shedosky III and Sheri Shedosky; dissolution granted.

Kelly May and Robert May; dissolution granted.

Brian Snow and Christine Snow; dissolution granted.

Robin Houlette vs. Lee Houlette, et al.; case settled and dismissed, with agreement for defendants to pay monthly payments for 60 month for $157,500 purchase price, plus interest, for one-half interest in property on Industrial Park Road, Lisbon.

MCLP Asset Company, Inc. vs. Harry Harker Jr., et al.; foreclosure vacated, case dismissed.

Kent State University vs. Tara Gray; $4,728 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Grand Jury

LISBON — A man accused of having sexual contact with a 5-year-old child was served Thursday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury.

Clarence Owens, 60, New Cumberland, W.Va., was charged with gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony, related to alleged sexual contact with a child victim, age 5 years old, on May 22, 2023 when the child was less than 13 years old.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a case against Tyler Woolmaker, 19, Idaho Avenue, East Liverpool, was bound over to the county grand jury for felonious assault, a second-degree felony, with a pretrial set March 28 for misdemeanor domestic violence. Woolmaker allegedly showed up at a Halloween party on Oct. 28 in East Liverpool and struck a woman in the head with a whiskey bottle and then Oct. 29 punched a different woman in the face and head after kicking in her door in East Liverpool.

Cases against Scott R. Male, 33, McKees Rocks, Pa., were bound over to the county grand jury for third-degree felony compelling prostitution, fourth-degree felony attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, fifth-degree felony possession of criminal tools and misdemeanor engaging in prostitution for allegedly responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website of an adult female and a 15-year-old minor and arranging for sexual conduct with both females for $160, driving to East Palestine on Jan. 24 for the meeting.

A preliminary hearing was set Feb. 12 for Keith Pollard, Cleveland, charged with third-degree felonies of tampering with evidence and illegal conveyance of drugs for allegedly taking a bag containing an unknown substance and stuffing it into his pants during a traffic stop Feb. 2 in East Liverpool. Once at the jail, it was determined the bag contained 30 pills, which another male said were fentanyl pills.

A preliminary hearing was set Feb. 12 for Crystal Holloway, 46, Center Avenue, Lisbon, charged with fourth-degree felony burglary for allegedly entering a man’s residence without permission on Jan. 31 on state Route 164, Lisbon. He was home at the time and told her to leave.

A preliminary hearing was set Feb. 12 for Davante Jackson, 31, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with third-degree felony tampering with evidence for allegedly trying to hide a bag of pills while in a patrol car during a traffic stop on Feb. 2 in East Liverpool. A sentencing hearing was set Feb. 12 after he pleaded guilty to OVI first offense, driving under suspension, no seat belt and improper/expired registration.

Josiah Laughlin, 24, state Route 7, Rogers, was fined $250 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with credit for 19 days served, leaving 71 days still to serve, for aggravated menacing for threatening another man with a long knife on Jan. 7 on Campbell Road, Hanoverton.

A pretrial was set April 25 for Mark Alan George, 37, Greenfield Drive, East Liverpool, charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for allegedly requesting sexual conduct from an undercover agent in exchange for $100 and driving to Salem on Jan. 5 for the meeting, with his cell phone used to make the arrangements.

Matthew McBride, 42, Peace Valley Road, New Waterford, was fined $250 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 30 days suspended, leaving 150 days to serve, for assault. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and have no contact with the victim. McBride approached a man pumping gas at JDE Food and Fuel in New Waterford and punched him in the face on Jan. 11.

Ethan Hill, 20, state Route 154, Lisbon, was fined $200 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for menacing, amended form aggravated menacing. Hill threatened and harassed a man on May 29 in the Taco Bell parking lot in Lisbon, threatening to pull a firearm and shoot him.

A pretrial was set April 29 for Tia Miller, 34, Martin Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with menacing for allegedly sending threatening text messages to a woman on Nov. 16 in Columbiana County.

A pretrial was set April 9 for Khrystelle Pavlick, 28, Youngstown, charged with theft for allegedly taking items off of shelves and placing them in her backpack, then leaving without paying for $55 worth of merchandise from Salem Giant Eagle on Jan. 4. She was fined $150 and received a suspended 30-day jail term for disorderly conduct, amended from possessing of drugs, for having a cut straw with residue in her cell at the county jail on Aug. 23, 2022.

Mark Morgan, 41, Purinton Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 160 days suspended, leaving 20 days to serve, for two counts of aggravated menacing. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and to have no contact with two victims or the Beaver Local school district property. Morgan was accused of threatening to physically harm a teacher at Beaver Local schools and a male at the school during an incident Nov. 22, 2022.

A pretrial was set April 25 for Daniel McLaughlin, 36, East Clark Street, East Palestine, charged with failure to obtain permission to hunt on someone else’s property in Unity Township on Nov. 15.

Scott Groves, 42, Broadway, Wellsville, was fined $600 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 90 days suspended and credit for 18 days served, leaving 72 days remaining to serve, for domestic violence, criminal damaging and resisting arrest. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and to stay away from the victim. Groves was charged for maneuvering his arm away from a police officer trying to take him to a cruiser during an investigation Jan. 13 in Wellsville when he was accused of damaging several items, including a television, and beating up a woman.

Jonathan Lagone, 21, Ohio Avenue, Salem, was fined $300 and sentenced to 120 days in jail, with credit for seven days served, leaving 113 days to serve, for domestic violence for putting a woman in a chokehold, fighting with her and throwing punches that connected to her arms and sides on Jan. 25 in Salem.

A pretrial was set April 2 for Mathew Smith, 45, Lincoln Street, Salineville, charged with two counts of domestic violence for allegedly yelling and threatening a male with physical harm on Jan. 18 in Salineville, and also shoving a woman when she attempted to intervene in a fight between the two.

A pretrial was set Feb. 15 for Victor Munz, 50, U.S. Route 30, Lisbon, charged with domestic violence for allegedly grabbing a woman by the arms and shoulder several times during a domestic disturbance on Feb. 2 in Center Township.

A pretrial was set April 29 for K-lyn Hammonds McGee, 30, Warren, charged with illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a crack pipe and other paraphernalia during an incident Jan. 26 in a gas station parking lot in Columbiana.

Jason Call, 30, Avondale Street, East Liverpool, was fined $300 and sentenced to 10 days in jail, with credit for 10 days served, for theft and drug paraphernalia. Call failed to scan and pay for 40 items totaling $380, leaving the cart and fleeing the Calcutta Walmart on Sept. 4. On Sept. 2, he possessed a burnt glass pipe in his bag during a traffic stop in St. Clair Township.

A pretrial was set Feb. 8 for Tariq Larkins, 31, Commerce Street, Wellsville, charged with domestic violence for allegedly punching a juvenile on Dec. 4 in Wellsville.

A pretrial was set April 4 for Deborah Wilkinson, 59, Old Fredericktown Road, East Liverpool, charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs first offense, OVI breath first offense, left of center and stop sign.

Ismaaily Kitchen, 35, Youngstown, was fined $1,025 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driving intervention program, for OVI and possessing marijuana. Charges of driving under suspension and improper/expired registration were dismissed. Kitchen’s driver’s license was suspended for 180 days.

A pretrial was set April 2 for David Dietz, 32, Homeworth Road, Homeworth, charged with OVI first offense, no seat belt and reckless operation.

Isaiah Hackworth, 24, New Philadelphia, was fined $185 for driving under suspension and speeding.

A pretrial was set May 13 for Nathaniel Joy, 29, Stanton Drive, Columbiana, charged with OVI first offenses, OVI breath first offense and reasonable control.

A pretrial was set April 9 for James Poole, 40, East Third Street, Salem, charged with two counts driving under suspension, loud exhaust, failure to display valid sticker and headlights.

A pretrial was set April 1 for Dante Pelino, 22, My Way Lane, New Waterford, charged with assured clear distance.

A pretrial was set April 25 for Thomas Bloor, 45, Vale Street, East Liverpool, charged with driving under suspension.

A pretrial was set April 25 for Tina Conrad, 65, Wast Washington Street, Lisbon, charged with failure to stop after an accident and failure to yield.

A pretrial was set April 4 for Richard Krebs, 42, Westville Lake Road, Beloit, charged with driving under suspension, no seat belt and improper/expired registration.

A pretrial was set April 2 for Phillip James, 64, South Euclid, charged with failure to stop after an accident, stopped school bus and assured clear distance.

A pretrial was set Feb. 13 for Judson Edling, 37, West Pershing Street, Salem, charged with driving under suspension and speeding.

Dontay Johnson, 29, Greentree Place, Lisbon, was fined $150 for driving under suspension.

A pretrial was set April 1 for Jorge Alvarez, 31, East Fourth Street, Salem, charged with driving under suspension.

Court News

LISBON — A Salem man sentenced to 27 months in prison in 2022 for multiple charges related to sexual conduct, providing obscene materials to a juvenile and concealing evidence was ordered released Thursday after his motion for judicial release was granted.

Alexzander C. Jones, 24, North Howard Avenue, Salem, appeared in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court before Judge Scott Washam for the hearing.

He entered guilty pleas in November 2021 to disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, tampering with evidence, two counts of importuning and two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, all felonies, for incidents involving juveniles ages 13 and 15 last year and this year.

The charges stemmed from him engaging in sexual conduct with a 13-year-old from Nov. 1, 2020 through Jan. 12, 2021, soliciting sex from a 15-year-old from Nov. 1, 2020 through Jan 12, 2021, soliciting sex from a 13-year-old on Dec. 7, 2020, sending a naked photo to a 15-year-old on Nov. 24, 2020, and trying to destroy or alter evidence on Jan. 12, 2021.

He had filed an appeal with the Seventh District Court of Appeals to challenge his Common Pleas Court sentence, but then dropped the appeal. Previous motions for judicial release were denied.

Washam granted the latest motion, noting that Jones had no significant previous criminal record, showed genuine remorse for his conduct and the offense occurred under circumstances that are unlikely to reoccur.

Jones was placed under community control for four years.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Gavin Linden, 21, Vienna, was placed on probation for 24 months after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. He was sentenced to 77 days in jail, with credit for 77 days already served. Linden possessed hydrocodone and amphetamine on April 11, 2022.