Grand Jury

LISBON — A Lisbon man accused of possessing child pornography has been indicted by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for 50 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person.

Jon Carl Nelder, 43, Saltwell Road, was charged with the multiple counts of the fourth-degree felony and a single count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony.

Nelder allegedly hid a cell phone under the couch while the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force was executing a search warrant regarding possession of child pornography at his residence on Dec. 7, 2023. The cell phone allegedly had images of child pornography on it.

Nelder was one of 22 defendants issued open indictments by the grand jury after a two-day session this week, with 43 secret indictments issued also. Secret indictments don’t become public until the defendants are served.

Another indictment related to child porn was against Anthony Davila, 46, Cleveland, charged with 10 counts of fourth-degree felony pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, and single counts of third-degree felony compelling prostitution, fourth-degree felony attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and fifth-degree felonies of importuning and possessing criminal tools. Davila requested sexual conduct from a person he believed to be a 15-year-old female, but who was actually an undercover agent posing as a teen online, then drove to Salem on Jan. 27 for the meeting, with the phone he used to make the arrangements. The pandering charges all stem from Jan. 27.

At least five defendants were charged with grand theft related to false claims for monetary reimbursement submitted to Norfolk Southern related to last year’s train derailment and chemical fire.

Those defendants and other open indictments issued included:

— Lauren Dilworth, 29, Park Avenue, East Palestine, fourth-degree felonies of grand theft and falsification in a theft offense for allegedly submitting fictitious receipts to Norfolk Southern for reimbursement for lodging, food and fuel when she was not displaced by the train derailment, with the amount received by fraudulent means allegedly totaling $18,840 from March 21, 2023 through May 6, 2023.

— Shelby Walker, 49, East Taggart Street, East Palestine, fourth-degree felonies of grand theft and falsification in a theft offense for allegedly providing fraudulent falsified hotel receipts over a continuous course of conduct from April 14, 2023 through June 14, 2023 totaling an estimated $18,189. She allegedly made a fraudulent statement on July 25, 2023.

— Thomas Burkett, 62, North Sumner Street, East Palestine, fourth-degree felony grand theft for allegedly obtaining $11,589 from Norfolk Southern’s community assistance center set up after the train derailment, after providing receipts from Feb. 8, 2023 through May 25, 2023 for food and fuel, alleging he had relocated to a residence in Midland, Pa.

— Donald Bishop, 49, East North Avenue, East Palestine, fourth-degree felony grand theft for allegedly receiving $13,763 from Norfolk Southern by means of deception after submitting hotel receipts for reimbursement between Feb. 28, 2023 and July 24, 2023 at the assistance center set up after the February train derailment.

— James Chadwick Bollinger, 33, West Martin Street, East Palestine, fourth-degree felony grand theft for allegedly presenting altered Holiday Inn invoices to Norfolk Southern totaling $12,451 and being reimbursed Sept. 19, 2023.

–Jarrod Lee Westover, 23, North Market Street, Lisbon, three third-degree felony counts of burglary for allegedly breaking into a Lisbon apartment without the occupant’s permission on Jan. 25, Jan. 29 and Jan. 30, each time using a credit card to open the door and steal food items.

— Dalton McKinnon, 22, Lacroft Avenue, East Liverpool, fifth-degree felony breaking and entering for allegedly breaking into a garage and attempting to take items on Jan. 29 in East Liverpool.

— Tai K. Kotas, 43, Sycamore Drive, New Waterford, fourth-degree felony receiving stolen property and misdemeanor unauthorized use of a vehicle for allegedly driving a stolen vehicle on Jan. 28 in Perry Township.

— Merabi Khurtsilava, 33, Brooklyn, N.Y., third-degree felony compelling prostitution, fourth-degree felony attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, fifth-degree felony possessing criminal tools and misdemeanor engaging in prostitution for allegedly responding to an undercover ad of an adult female and 15-year-old juvenile and arranging for sexual conduct with both in exchange for $240, traveling to East Palestine on Jan. 21 for the meeting.

— Sujit K. Male, 33, McKees Rocks, Pa., 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.

— Scott Thompson, 50, Clarksville, Tenn., fourth-degree felony promoting prostitution, fifth-degree felony possession of cocaine and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia for allegedly transporting a woman to East Palestine for a sex-for-hire meeting on Nov 18, 2023 and possessing suspected crack cocaine and a crack pipe.

— Regis Allgood, 33, Commerce Street, Wellsville, third-degree felony domestic violence, fourth-degree felony strangulation and misdemeanor domestic violence for allegedly throwing a woman up against the wall of a Wellsville residence and choking her on Jan. 24.

— Donald Fiore, 57, Franklin Avenue, Salem, third-degree felony domestic violence for allegedly fighting with a woman and causing injury to her head and legs on Feb. 9.

— Julie Carl-Picklesimer, 51, Lisbon Street, East Liverpool, two separate indictments for third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer for fleeing from police attempting traffic stops on Feb. 2 in East Liverpool and on Oct.20, 2023 in East Liverpool.

— Nicholas Conway, 43, New Middletown, charged with fifth-degree felony improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle and misdemeanors of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs third offense, operating a vehicle while under the influence of a listed controlled substance or a listed metabolite of a controlled substance and driving under suspension. Conway allegedly possessed a pistol while impaired during a traffic stop on Dec. 13, 2023 in Madison Township.

— Brian Pearl, 54, East Clark Street, East Palestine, fifth-degree felony possession of a fentanyl-related compound for allegedly possessing 1.42 grams of a fentanyl-related compound during a traffic stop on Nov. 8, 2023 in East Palestine.

— Joshua Marshall, 36, Canfield, fifth-degree felony theft for allegedly taking $3,800 for a landscaping job at a New Waterford property and then failing to return to finish the work. The dates included June 14, 2023 to June 16, 2023.

— Crystal Holloway, 46, Center Avenue, Lisbon, second-degree felony burglary and fourth-degree felonies of trespass and theft of drugs 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. Charges also stem from alleged trespassing and the theft of a dangerous drug on Jan. 29 from a woman.

— Kayla Mennell, 27, Anderson Boulevard, East Liverpool, fourth-degree felony assault, fifth-degree felony harassment by an inmate and misdemeanors of disorderly conduct and misconduct at an emergency. Mennell was accused of acting belligerent and ignoring instructions to cease her behavior while East Liverpool police officers were attempting to assist an unconscious male laying in the road on St. Clair Avenue on Jan. 20. Mennell was allegedly intoxicated and resisted when detained, attempting to break out the cruiser window and then spitting saliva into the face of an officer. While at the police station, she allegedly began attempting to harm herself by banging her head on the wall and kicking an officer trying to stop her.

— Brock Ward, 40, East Sixth Street, East Liverpool, two counts fourth-degree felony assault and one count fifth-degree felony harassment by an inmate for an incident in East Liverpool on Feb. 7 when he allegedly spit saliva in the face of a police officer and kicked another officer in the leg.