Common Pleas

New Cases

Wilmington Savings Fund Society, Anaheim, Calif., vs. Richard Holt, Woodbine Avenue, East Liverpool, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought.

Docket Entries

Jonathan Willis vs. Amanda Willis; divorce granted.

Lauryn Kuboff vs. Stephen Kuboff; divorce granted.

Pamela Metts vs. the heirs and beneficiaries of Mary A. Kelly, now deceased; 0.10 acres in East Liverpool ordered transferred to Pamela Metts, formerly known as Pamela Newlun, along with order declaring her rightful owner since Oct. 28, 1987.

JPMorgan Chase Bank vs. Nicole Moon, also known as Nicole Tollas, $17,070 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Grand Jury

LISBON — Secret indictments issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury which were served Thursday included:

— Angela Weaver, 36, Sprucevale Road, East Liverpool, aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing methamphetamine on July 21, 2021.

— Justin Seibert, 40, Youngstown, possessing of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing cocaine on March 20, 2022.

— Michael Craig, 45, Depot Street, Rogers, possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing tramadol on July 5, 2022.

— Marian Reed, 46, East Sixth Street, Salem, nonsupport of dependents, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly failing to pay child support for one child from July 11, 2021 to July 9, 2023.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary hearing was set July 29 for Nathen Wiseman, 34, West Main Street, New Waterford, charged with third-degree felony failure to verify change of address for allegedly failing to notify the sheriff’s office in July that he had moved. As a registered sex offender, he’s required to notify the sheriff’s office of his current address.

A pretrial was set Sept. 23 for Blake Surmaceviz, 22, Continental Drive, Salem, charged with sexual imposition for an alleged incident on May 10, 2023 in Salem.

A pretrial was set July 29 for Jerry Mason, 63, Stagecoach Road, East Liverpool, charged with domestic violence for allegedly pounding on the door of the bathroom and taking the handle off, eventually opening the door, then blocking a woman from getting out and pushing her on July 18 in St. Clair Township.

A pretrial was set July 29 for Howard Ammon, 28, Pugh Road, East Liverpool, charged with two counts of aggravated menacing for threatening a woman and a man on July 17 in Wellsville.

A pretrial was set Sept. 26 for Justin Buckel, 32, Dakota Street, East Liverpool, charged with obstructing official business for allegedly switching seats with a passenger during a traffic stop on July 18 in Lisbon. A sheriff’s deputy found that he possessed a suspended license in Ohio. He was fined $250 for a turn signal violation and driving under suspension.

A pretrial was set Sept. 26 for Misty Conrad, 36, Ohio Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with obstructing official business and wrongful entrustment for allegedly switching seats with another person during a traffic stop on July 18 in Lisbon.

A pretrial was set Sept. 26 for Charles Gough, 25, Echo Dell Road, East Liverpool, charged with drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a burnt meth pipe during a traffic stop on June 27 in St. Clair Township.

A sentencing hearing was set Oct. 15 for Jade Dieringer, 29, John Street, East Liverpool, who pleaded no contest and was found guilty of four counts failure to pay city income tax and two counts failure to file city income tax return. Dieringer allegedly failed to pay city income tax in East Liverpool in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 and failed to file a city income tax return in East Liverpool in 2023 and 2024.

A pretrial was set Oct. 15 for Santasia Graham, 26, Auburn Street, East Liverpool, charged with deposit litter, garbage, trash or junk on adjacent property on alley for allegedly having excessive trash and debris on the Auburn Street property in January.

A pretrial was set Oct. 8 for Brenton Galeoti, 21, Maple Street, Salem, charged with operating a vehicle impaired first offense and use of unauthorized plate.

A pretrial was set Oct. 24 for Beau Smith, 33, Lisbon Dungannon Road, Lisbon, charged with OVI first offense and reasonable control.

A pretrial was set Sept. 19 for Tyler Timmann, 24, Elberon Avenue, Salem, charged with OVI first offense, OVI breath first offense, no seat belt and a stop sign violation.

A pretrial was set Oct. 24 for James Richard Howell Jr., 58, Ohio Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with OVI first offense, driving under suspension, drug paraphernalia and reasonable control for allegedly possessing a glass pipe and a small vile with a crystal like substance inside during a traffic stop in East Liverpool on July 6. He was fined $150 for driving under suspension.

A pretrial was set Sept. 26 for Angela Tondo, 36, Cedar Ridge Avenue, Salem, OVI first offense and driving while texting.

A pretrial was set Oct. 22 for Malia Showers, 23, Niles, charged with driving under suspension and transfer registration.

A pretrial was set Oct. 15 for Anna Elizabeth Jurich, 21, state Route 154, Lisbon, charged with speeding.

A pretrial was set Oct. 24 for Christopher Slasor, 52, Sprucevale Road, East Liverpool, charged with no valid license, speeding and improper/expired registration.

Ross Chaplow, 42, Metz Road, Columbiana, was fined $200 for driving under suspension.

Donald Ferrebee, 69, Cain Street, East Liverpool, was fined $625 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 160 days suspended, leaving a balance of 20 days to serve in jail, for OVI second offense, amended from OVI third offense, and a traffic device violation. His driver’s license was suspended for three years and he was ordered to complete 20 hours community service. A charge of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer was dismissed.

A pretrial was set Oct. 15 for Sidney Glover Jr., 35, Warren, charged with driving under suspension and speeding.

A pretrial was set Sept. 23 for Julia Soules, 42, Georgetown Road, Salem, charged with physical control.

A pretrial was set Oct. 24 for David Wales, 35, West Southern Avenue, Columbiana.

Lisa Marie Andrews, 56, South West Street, Columbiana, was fined $200 for driving under suspension and a red light violation.

Taylor Mick, 27, Spruce Road, East Liverpool, was fined $75 for driving under suspension.

Michelle Green, 56, West Main Street, East Palestine, was fined $300 for driving under suspension and expired registration.

Roger Nock Jr., 35, Canfield, was fined $200 for speeding.

Jennifer Schroeder, 50, Pine Street, Leetonia, was fined $50 for passing a stopped school bus.

Cristobal Tomas, 21, Continental Drive, Salem, was fined $150 for driving under suspension.

Noah Levans, 19, Newgarden Avenue, Salem, was fined $300 and sentenced to three days in jail for driving under suspension and unauthorized plate.

Michael Craig, 45, Jennings Avenue, Salem, was fined $275 for driving under suspension and unauthorized plate.

Court News

LISBON — Former East Liverpool police/school resource officer Shawn Long must continue serving his 89-day jail term in the Columbiana County jail after a judge denied his request for electronically-monitored house arrest.

Long had been ordered to report to the jail on June 17 to begin serving the sentence which was issued in February for disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a fifth-degree felony.

In the motion filed on his behalf, Long asked to be released from jail and sent home under electronically-monitored house arrest, but the Ohio Attorney General’s office sent a response asking the request to be denied, noting the victim also was against his release.

Retired Judge Edward O’Farrell, who was assigned to the Columbiana County Common Pleas Court case, denied the motion, saying it could only be considered if the state agreed. The state did not.

Long had been accused of sending an inappropriate photo of his private parts to a teen girl who was a student in 2020 while he was serving as the school resource officer at East Liverpool High School.

He entered a guilty plea to the charge and during sentencing on Feb. 15, he was placed on probation under community control for two years. The jail term was actually 90 days for a residential sanction, but he received credit for one day served, leaving a term of 89 days he must serve in jail.

Long had been with the East Liverpool Police Department since March 1997, over 24 years, with school resource officer his last assignment. He was placed on paid administrative leave in April 2020 due to allegations and resigned effective March 30, 2021. The indictment was issued in September 2023.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Brock Ward, 40, Oakland Avenue, East Liverpool, was ordered into inpatient psychiatric hospitalization at Heartland Behavioral Health for up to 18 months after being found incompetent to face trial for 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. A judge found that his competency may be able to be restored with treatment.

— Ronald Lee Smalley, 62, Gavers Road, Hanoverton, pleaded guilty to two counts third-degree felony operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or combination of them-OVI, specifications for forfeiture of a vehicle and a misdemeanor of driving under suspension for an alleged traffic stop April 18 on state Route 172 in Hanover Township. Sentencing was set for Sept. 26. The affidavit from the Ohio State Highway Patrol noted that Smalley’s driving history revealed seven prior OVI convictions dating back to 1992, with two previous felony OVI convictions. The previous convictions enhanced this latest charge to a higher degree of felony. The forfeiture is calling for forfeiture of the vehicle he was driving, a 2013 blue Toyota Avalon.

— Cody Hostetter, 23, North Pleasant, East Palestine, was placed under community control for 24 months and ordered to spend at least six months of that time at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center after pleading guilty to two counts aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia. Hostetter possessed methamphetamine on Sept. 1, 2023 and on June 24, 2023, along with paraphernalia on June 24, 2023.

— Dustin Dotson, 20, Warren, was placed on a treatment plan for 18 months after pleading guilty to a lesser offense of fourth-degree felony attempted failure to comply. The original charge was third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer for allegedly fleeing from Perry Township police attempting a traffic stop on Aug. 13, 2023 on U.S. Route 62 near Goshen Road.