Common Pleas

New Cases

PennyMac Loan Services, LLC, Westlake Village, Calif., vs. Martha Henderson, East Sixth Street, Salem, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought.

Julie Johnston, individually and as administrator of the estate of Hugh L. Johnston, deceased, Clark Avenue, Wellsville, vs. East Liverpool City Hospital and Rahim Khan, D.O., both West Fifth Street, East Liverpool, et al.; damages sought for wrongful death and professional malpractice claims over 2023 death of Hugh L. Johnston.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Roy Lane Crick Irrevocable Trust, Youngstown, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for East Lake Road, Hanoverton property.

Docket Entries

Huntington National Bank vs Matthew Bertolette, et al.; case dismissed.

Prestige Financial Services, Inc. vs. John Cusick; $16,395 judgment granted to plaintiff.

Christopher Darner vs. John Alvis, et al. and Mountaineer Construction Co., care of Lucas Alvis; Lucas Alvis and Mountaineer Construction Co. found not liable for work not completed on project solely done by John Alvis, damages hearing set for Oct. 15 as to John Alvis only.

John Capron III vs. Theresa Capron; case dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, case already in North Dakota court.

Melanie Scott vs. Sean Scott; divorce complaint dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Maraget Weddle, now known as Parkins, et al.; TotalEnergies dismissed from case.

County Treasurer vs. Janet Rockenhauser; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Martin Schwartz, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Timothy Laclari, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. MSKF Holdings LLC, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Michael Allison, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Shawn Sadler, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Jessica Williams, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Steven Williams, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Kathryn Brown, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Linda Lanham, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Thomas Woods, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Kara Fenton, et al.; payment plan completed, case dismissed.

Grand Jury

LISBON — A Salem man accused of weapons charges was served Monday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury.

Ian Wesley Docherty Woods, 52, Youngstown Salem Road, was charged with third-degree felony having weapon while under disability and misdemeanor discharging a firearm on or near a prohibited premise. The incident allegedly occurred Nov. 26, 2023 when he was accused of discharging a firearm upon or over a public road or highway and was prohibited from having a firearm due to a previous felony conviction.

Also served with a secret indictment was Ronald O’Neil Baker Jr., 52, Wood Street, Wellsville, who was charged with fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs for allegedly possessing methamphetamine on Aug. 5, 2022.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, Wesley Lipscomb, 38, state Route 344, Leetonia, was fined $1,650 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 90 days suspended and credit for one day served, leaving a balance of 89 days to serve in jail for two counts failure to comply, resisting arrest, criminal mischief, drug paraphernalia, two counts operating a vehicle impaired (including a merged OVI charge) and marked lanes. Charges of disorderly conduct and possessing marijuana were dismissed. His driver’s license was suspended for three years and he was ordered to complete 40 hours community service. Lipscomb fled from Leetonia police during an attempted traffic stop on Aug. 28, 2023. On Nov. 23, 2023, he was accused of damaging some decorations at the Corner Pocket bar in Leetonia and attempting to break a window while intoxicated. On April 25 this year, Lipscomb resisted arrest and head butted the rear driver side window of a police cruiser during his arrest for OVI in Leetonia and also possessed drug paraphernalia.

Stephen Kuntzman, 57, Alliance, was fined $250 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 178 days suspended and credit for two days served for assault. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and to have no contact with the victim and three juveniles. Kuntzman slapped a woman across the face, leaving a red bruise and swelling, on Jan. 3 in Knox Township.

Steve Sunhak Yoon, 34, Ravenna, 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 education course which was already completed. Yoon requested sexual conduct from an undercover agent for an agreed upon price of $120, then drove to Salem on May 10 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Caleb Collins, 19, East Sixth Street, Salem, was fined $200 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 178 days suspended and credit for two days served, for theft and criminal damaging. He was ordered to complete 80 hours community service and to have no contact with the juvenile victim. Collins stole a pair of shoes belonging to a juvenile victim in Salem on June 15 and when they were returned, they were painted blue and damaged.

Leroy McEldowney, 45, West Ninth Street, East Liverpool, was fined $150 for criminal damaging for kicking a door and damaging it on May 31 in East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set Sept. 9 for Dalton McKinnon, 23, Lacroft Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with possession of drug abuse instrument, criminal trespass and theft. On June 2, he was seen on surveillance footage allegedly taking candy off of shelves at Nikki’s Market and placing it in his pants in East Liverpool. McKinnon allegedly possessed a syringe on May 21 in East Liverpool and was allegedly found inside a posted condemned home in East Liverpool on June 27.

Thomas May, 39, state Route 154, Lisbon, was fined $1,300 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 150 days suspended and credit for one day served, leaving a balance of 29 days still to serve in jail for theft, two merged OVI charges for operating a vehicle impaired third offense and OVI refusal with prior within 20 years, failure to control, no license and expired registration. His driver’s license was suspended for two years. May kept a homemade car hauler trailer after being told Dec. 31, 2023 to return it to the owner.

A status conference was set Nov. 25 and a jury trial was set Dec. 4 for Levi Stamp, 31, Columbia Street, Salem, charged with failure to comply for allegedly fleeing from Leetonia police on May 13.

Summer Felker, 30, Franklin Avenue, Salem, was fined $930 and sentenced to 60 days in jail, with 56 days suspended, credit for one day served and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for OVI, no seat belt and marked lanes. Another OVI charge was dismissed. Her driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted. She was also ordered to complete 40 hours community service. An open container charge was dismissed.

Aron Lipp, 41, Neeld Road, East Palestine, was fined $900 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 150 days suspended, leaving a balance of 30 days to serve in jail, for two merged OVI charges and a tail light violation. His driver’s license was suspended for three years and he was ordered to complete 40 hours community service.

Nicole Vlaiku, 48, Bandy Road, Alliance, was fined $875 and sentenced to 60 days in jail, with 57 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for physical control amended from OVI. A charge of reasonable control was dismissed. Her driver’s license was suspended for 180 days, with driving privileges granted. She was ordered to complete 20 hours community service.

Dawn Greathouse, 53, Youngstown, was fined $450 for reasonable control, no valid license and failure to report an accident amended from failure to stop after an accident.

Arraignment was set Aug. 27 for Sascha Wachsmann, 52, Canton, charged with OVI and speeding.

Shain Hostetter, 42, Sherman Street, Lisbon, was fined $75 for reasonable control, with a charge of driving under suspension suspended.

Danielle Marie Lucas, 40, New Cumberland, W.Va., was fined $100 for an equipment violation amended from speeding.

Kathryn Unick, 34, New Springfield, was fined $20 for improper registration, with a charge of driving under suspension dismissed.

A pretrial was set Nov. 19 for Nathan Kaufman, 30, East State Street, Salem, charged with driving under suspension and speeding.

A pretrial was set Aug. 26 for Kristy Sue Dillard, 45, Commerce Street, Wellsville, charged with expired registration.

A pretrial was set Oct. 15 for Marshall Miller, 20, Bergholz, charged with speeding.

Court News

LISBON — A Canton man accused of threatening a woman and allegedly attempting to set a child on fire was recently found competent to stand trial for multiple charges.

Matthew S. Jackson, 24, will face a jury trial on Nov. 5 in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court, with a status hearing on Oct. 7.

During a competency hearing Monday, Judge Megan Bickerton found him competent based on an evaluation by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio.

Jackson was indicted earlier this year for felonious assault, a second-degree felony, first-degree felony aggravated arson and two counts of misdemeanor aggravated menacing for a Dec. 30, 2023 incident in Liverpool Township.

According to an affidavit filed in county Municipal Court in the case against Jackson, he allegedly shot out a woman’s window at her house with a BB gun, became aggressive and threatened to punch her in the back of the head and kill her, then took out a torch lighter and allegedly attempted to set a 3-month-old child on fire, continuing to threaten the woman before he ran out the door.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Jeffery Wilson, 36, New Brighton, Pa., was sentenced to 30 months in prison with credit for 54 days already served in jail for drug charges from three separate indictments, including two third-degree felony counts of aggravated possession of drugs, fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia. Charges of aggravated trafficking in drugs, possession of cocaine, and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle were being dismissed. He also received mandatory fines totaling $10,000. According to the indictments, he possessed methamphetamine on Aug. 6, 2021 and Feb. 12, 2021 and possessed methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia on May 7, 2021.

— Logan Larlham, 26, Youngstown, was sentenced to prison for 12 months after pleading guilty to third-degree felonies of aggravated trafficking in drugs and aggravated possession of drugs and fifth-degree felonies of possessing criminal tools and attempted promoting prostitution. He was given credit for 132 days served in jail. For the drug charges, he received mandatory fines totaling $10,000 and he was designated a Tier I sex offender required to register his address with the sheriff’s office. Larlham was accused of responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and requesting to have a female brought to his hotel in Boardman so she could provide sex for hire services and refer her clients to him for drug sales. He arranged for a driver to take him to East Palestine to pick up the female on April 6 and possessed the cell phone used to make the arrangements, along with possessing methamphetamine in an amount or equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk.

— Robert Pavalko, 45, Youngstown, was placed on a treatment plan for three years after pleading guilty to fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs. A charge of misdemeanor permitting drug abuse was dismissed. He received credit for two days already served in jail. Pavalko was accused of possessing methamphetamine while transporting another man to East Palestine on April 6, knowing the other man was committing a felony drug offense.

— Matthew Rudder, 35, Birch Road, East Liverpool, was sentenced to seven months in prison for possession of fentanyl-related compound, a fifth-degree felony, with credit for 14 days served in jail. Rudder possessed fentanyl on April 2, 2022.

— Zaine Husk, 25, Maine Boulevard, East Liverpool, was sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and misdemeanor possessing drug abuse instruments. He was given credit for 119 days already served in jail. His driver’s license was suspended for three years. Husk fled from East Liverpool police attempting a traffic stop on April 18 and possessed four syringes in the glove box of his vehicle during the eventual stop.

— Eric M. Kibler, 36, Neeld Road, East Palestine, was placed on a treatment plan for three years after pleading guilty to possession of fentanyl-related compound, a fifth-degree felony. He received credit for 24 days served in jail. Kibler possessed fentanyl on Feb. 8, 2023.

— Brandy Sanders, 27, Main Street, Washingtonville, was placed into drug court until the program is complete, not to exceed five years, after pleading guilty to fourth-degree felony attempted aggravated possession of drugs and fifth-degree felony possession of fentanyl-related compound. She received credit for 83 days served in jail. Sanders possessed fentanyl on Aug. 10, 2022. She had originally been charged with aggravated possession of drugs for possessing methamphetamine on Sept. 1, 2023.

— Richard Nicholson, 44, Connellsville, Pa., was placed on a treatment plan for two years after pleading guilty to improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony. He received credit for one day served in jail. Nicholson was accused of having a loaded gun in a vehicle on July 7, 2023.