Common Pleas

New Cases

Brooke Moore, Westville Lake Road, Beloit, vs. Brian Moore Jr., Alliance; divorce sought.

PennyMac Loan Services, LLC, Los Angeles, Calif., vs. Richard Madison, Garfield Street, Lisbon, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought.

Lakeview Loan Servicing, LLC, Buffalo, N.Y., vs. Melissa Baker, Campbell Road, Hanoverton, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought.

Docket Entries

County Treasurer vs. David Treharne, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

Steven J. Smith and Lyndsey Smith; dissolution granted.

James Crago vs. Darlene Williams; case settled and dismissed.

Gerald P. Flynn vs. Fresh Mark Salem, et al.; case settled and dismissed.

Grand Jury

LISBON — A man accused of possessing multiple images of child pornography was served Monday with a secret indictment for 50 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person.

James G. Hunter, 74, Commerce Street, Wellsville, was accused of the fourth-degree felony charge for allegedly possessing material that had a minor as one of the participants on Feb. 21.

Court News

LISBON — A man accused of attempting to harm or harming another man by means of a knife recently entered a guilty plea to an amended offense of attempted felonious assault, a third-degree felony.

Anthony Baker, 39, Ravenna, was originally charged with felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and first-degree felony aggravated burglary. The aggravated burglary charge was being dismissed.

Sentencing was set for Oct. 10 in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.

The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on May 29, 2023.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Randy Lee Newberry, 65, Morris Road, Lisbon, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for two counts of fifth-degree felony charge of illegal use of minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance and misdemeanors of engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. He received credit for eight days already served. Newberry was found guilty July 30 during a trial to the court, with Judge Megan Bickerton finding the prosecution proved its case. Newberry was accused of contacting an undercover social media account maintained by an agent and arranging for sexual conduct with a female in exchange for methamphetamine, arriving in East Palestine on March 20, 2023 for the meeting with his cell phone. A search of his phone revealed two images depicting a female juvenile in a state of nudity. He was also designated a Tier I sex offender required to register his address with the county Sheriff’s Office.

— A case against Anthony Schaffer, 37, Youngstown, was dismissed without prejudice for charges of fourth-degree felony improper handling of firearm in a motor vehicle and third-degree felony having weapons while under disability. A filing by the prosecutor’s office said the U.S. Attorney’s Office elected to assume further prosecution of the case. Schaffer was accused of allegedly possessing a loaded 9mm handgun in his vehicle during a traffic stop on May 5 in East Liverpool while prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous drug conviction.

— Michael Robb, 43, North Market Street, East Palestine, was sentenced to nine months in prison for violating the terms of his probation for four counts of aggravated possession of drugs, one a third-degree felony and three fifth-degree felonies. He received credit for 106 days already served. The charges stemmed from Robb’s possession of methamphetamine, amphetamine, oxycodone and lisdexamfetamine on June 30, 2021. The prison term was ordered served at the same time as a nine-month term he received recently for violating his probation for a charge of possession of cocaine. His participation in drug court had been dishonorably terminated. The charge stemmed from his possession of cocaine on Sept. 12, 2019.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a case against Nathen Wiseman, 34, West Main Street, New Waterford, was bound over to the county grand jury for a 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 Nov. 18 for Alexis Paige Dobritz, 26, West Martin Street, East Palestine, charged with abandoning animals, dogs: failure to register and two counts cruelty to animals for an incident Aug. 3 in East Palestine when police received a report about a dog in a state of severe neglect and potential abuse and found the dog tied outside with no food, water, source of sustenance or shelter. The dog appeared to have been left outside for several days due to the dog’s condition. The dog also had no license.

Patrick Martin Stewart, 63, Allison Park, Pa., was fined $750 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and a 12-hour online education course. Stewart responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged to have sexual activity with a female in exchange for $140, then traveled to East Palestine on May 26 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Robert Louis Stoll, 59, Monaca, Pa., was fined $250 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for engaging in prostitution. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and a prostitution prevention online course. A charge of possession of criminal tools was dismissed. Stoll responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with a female in exchange for $70, then traveled to East Palestine on April 10 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Kenneth Carl Martin, 72, Macedonia, was fined $200 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for possessing criminal tools, amended from engaging in prostitution. Another count of possessing criminal tools was dismissed. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and a prostitution prevention online course. Martin responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with a female in exchange for $180, then traveled to East Palestine on Feb. 22 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

A pretrial was set Aug. 22 for Dillon Riley Everhart, 22, Lincoln Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with domestic violence for allegedly shoving a woman, causing her to almost fall, stumbling toward a coffee table and knocking over a bottle of pop on Aug. 12 in East Liverpool. A probable cause hearing was also set Aug. 22 for an alleged probation violation on a domestic violence charge from 2023.

A pretrial was set Oct. 8 for Joshua Scott Gallimore, 36, East Liverpool Road, Lisbon, charged with theft and disorderly conduct-intoxication after East Liverpool police officers were called to Dollar General for a man nodding off and almost falling over while standing in line and allegedly trying to conceal and take two items without paying for them on July 22.

A competency review/pretrial hearing was set Oct. 22 for Erich Mericle, 39, state Route 154, Lisbon, charged with obstructing official business, disorderly conduct-intoxication and driving under suspension. On July 15, 2023, Mericle allegedly walked into the road in Columbiana multiple times after being told by police to sit on the curb after they were called for a medical and he allegedly admitted to taking mushrooms and appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic. As officers escorted him to an ambulance, he pulled away and laid down in the middle to the street.

A pretrial was set Aug. 22 for Tyler Weaver, 26, Hammondsville, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly trespassing on a property on Hazel Run Road in Washington Township on Aug. 12.

Charges of assault and criminal damaging were dismissed against Dakota McCluskey, 32, state Route 644, Kensington, at the request of the state because the alleged victim is deceased. The charges stemmed from an incident July 21, 2023 in Salem when the defendant struck the victim with a closed fist and kicked in his door, breaking the lock.

A charge of maximum permissible height of weeds was dismissed against Donald Byrd, 51, St. George Street, East Liverpool, with the grass mowed. He had been charged for a violation in East Liverpool in May for grass and weeds over 12 inches.

A pretrial was set Nov. 18 for Scott Jackson, 30, state Route 558, New Waterford, charged with driving under suspension.

Christopher Pate, 43, Summerset Road, East Liverpool, was fined $50 for speeding.

David Bruce Dunkle, 55, Glen Rose, Texas, was fined $150 for driving under suspension. A charge of driving while texting was dismissed.

A pretrial was set Nov. 18 for Jessie Webb, 43, McGeehan Road, Lisbon, charged with driving under suspension and no seat belt.

Russell Schohr, 28, Canton, was fined $145 for expired tag and no license, amended from driving under suspension.