LISBON — A New Castle man accused in a sex-for-hire case entered a guilty plea in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court, with sentencing set for Sept. 12.

Larry E. Smith, 40, New Castle, Pa., pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony attempted compelling prostitution, amended from third-degree felony compelling prostitution, and also pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Charges of importuning and possessing criminal tools will be dismissed. Smith was accused of answering an undercover ad posted on a known prostitution website of an adult female and 15-year-old female and soliciting sexual conduct with the juvenile in exchange for $140, arriving in East Palestine on March 4, 2023 for the meeting.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Danielle Molish-Tanner, 37, Gardendale Street, East Liverpool, was placed under community control for 30 months, with the control including up to six months at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center in Lisbon, for lesser offenses of complicity to possession of cocaine, a third-degree felony, and complicity to possession of a fentanyl-related compound, also a third-degree felony, and a forfeiture specification for money from a drug case. First-degree felony charges of trafficking in cocaine and trafficking in fentanyl-related compound, along with a major drug offender specification, were dismissed. The forfeiture of $160 was ordered. Charges stemmed from a drug raid at the Gardendale Street, East Liverpool property when the Columbiana County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant on July 18, 2023 and found a large bag of suspected narcotic tablets and a large bag of suspected narcotics in a cabinet in the kitchen. Lab tests confirmed the 994 tablets contained fentanyl and the other substance was 583.04 grams of cocaine.

— Andrea Gibson, 46, Rochester Road, East Rochester, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with credit for 62 days served in jail, for third-degree felonies of aggravated possession of drugs and illegal conveyance of drugs onto the grounds of a detention facility and fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs. Gibson was accused of possessing methamphetamine on April 5, 2022 and conveying drugs into a detention facility and possessing an amount of methamphetamine equal or exceeding bulk, but less than five times bulk on Feb. 11, 2023.

— David Crowe, 39, Riffle Road, New Waterford, was placed under community control for 24 months, and was ordered to spend up to six months at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center at Wintersville, for fourth-degree felony attempted tampering with evidence and misdemeanor obstructing official business. Crowe was accused of providing a false name and social security number to East Liverpool police officers during a traffic stop on Jan. 8 in East Liverpool. A small circular container was found in his coat pocket and while being handcuffed, he allegedly grabbed the container off the hood of the cruiser, attempting to conceal the evidence.

— Rodney Allen Carter, 42, Sophia Street, East Liverpool was sentenced to 90 days in the county jail, with credit for 40 days served, leaving a balance of 50 days to serve in jail after pleading guilty to possession of fentanyl-related compound, a fifth-degree felony. A charge of aggravated possession of drugs was dismissed. Carter possessed fentanyl on April 3.