Common Pleas

New Cases

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Lansberry Properties LLC, Negley, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for state Route 170/Jackman Road, Negley property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Cruzrydar Learning Academy LLC, Cleveland, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for State Boulevard, Salem, and Madison Avenue, Salem properties.

Erin Figley, Bacon Avenue, East Palestine, and Michael Figley Jr., East Main Street, East Palestine; dissolution sought.

Global-Pak, Inc., Elkton Road, Lisbon, vs. R. W. Sidley Incorporated, Painesville; collection sought of alleged $59,825 debt.

Credit Acceptance Corporation,Southfield, Mich., vs. Dennis Strawser, Bacon Avenue, East Palestine; collection sought of alleged $9,187 debt.

Docket Entries

NewRez LLC vs. Myrna Dyke, et al.; foreclosure judgment vacated, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Nathaniel Freeman, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure ordered for Railroad Street, East Liverpool property.

County Treasurer vs. Guy Taylor, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure ordered for Oakland Avenue, East Liverpool property.

Grand Jury

LISBON — Misha Morris, 44, Middletown, Del., was served Monday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for fifth-degree felony theft for allegedly stealing cosmetics from a drug store on April 4.

Court News

LISBON — A West Virginia man accused of spitting in a police officer’s face and trying to escape from a police cruiser in January entered a guilty plea recently in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.

Devontay Bickley, 22, Chester, W.Va., pleaded guilty to a lesser-included offense fifth-degree felony escape, fifth-degree felony harassment with a bodily substance and misdemeanors of menacing and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He was originally charged with third-degree felony escape. Charges of resisting arrest and an additional OVI will be dismissed.

Sentencing was set for Dec. 16.

Bickley resisted arrest and spit saliva into the face of an East Liverpool police officer while being placed into custody for allegedly driving under the influence on Jan. 29. He also attempted to escape by climbing through the window into the front seat of the cruiser and continuously threatened the officers.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Phillip Norfleet, 21, Lisbon Street, East Liverpool, was placed under community control for three years and ordered to have no contact with the victim after pleading guilty to fourth-degree felony unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. He received credit for two days served in jail and was designated a Tier II sex offender who must register his address with the sheriff’s office. He was accused of engaging in sexual conduct with a child victim who was 14 years old at the time when the sexual conduct began from Sept. 23, 2022 to Sept. 23, 2023.

— William Styen, 44, Bell Road, Lisbon, pleaded guilty to a lesser-included offense third-degree felony burglary, with sentencing set for Dec. 16. He was originally charged with a second-degree felony burglary charge. He was accused of trespassing in an occupied structure on April 6, 2023.

— Orlando D. Walker, 33, Riverside Avenue, Wellsville, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony having weapons while under disability for allegedly having a gun on Feb. 4 while prohibited from having weapons due to a previous drug conviction. Sentencing was set for Dec. 9.

— A drug indictment against Rusty Altman, 51, Cream Ridge Road, Lisbon, for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, was dismissed, with a court document noting the case was resolved as part of a plea negotiation in another matter. He had been accused of allegedly possessing methamphetamine on June 24, 2023.

Municipal

LISBON — A man convicted two years ago for sending a threatening email to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is now charged with aggravated menacing for allegedly sending a threatening email to an East Palestine High School employee.

A pretrial was set Oct. 24 for Anthony Kelly, 36, Wood Street, East Palestine, for allegedly sending a threatening email on Oct. 7 to an East Palestine High School staff member, threatening to shoot her and causing her to fear for her life.

Bond was set at $25,000 cash or surety and he was ordered to have no contact with the victim and to have no weapons.

Kelly had been sentenced to 15 days in jail for telecommunications harassment for the threatening email to DeWine in 2022. The email was sent by way of the official website for the governor’s Constituent Affairs Office for the state of Ohio. A complaint filed by the Ohio State Highway Patrol said in the email, a threat was implied by way of hanging the governor.

According to an affidavit filed with the court by the investigating patrol officer, in the email, Kelly allegedly indicated he previously sent a death threat to the governor a year ago, which the investigator remembered. The threat had been made in May 2020 and was adjudicated through Franklin County Municipal Court.

Also in Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary hearing was set Oct. 31 for Amanda Eltringham, 31, Azalea Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with fifth-degree felony theft for allegedly failing to scan and pay for 177 items totaling $1,253 at the Calcutta Walmart on Sept. 21.

A pretrial was set Oct. 31 for Christopher West, 31, North Lincoln Avenue, Salem, charged with assault for allegedly punching the victim in the face during a domestic on April 15 in Salem.

A pretrial was set Dec. 9 for Dedra Ours, 35, Old Fredericktown Road, East Liverpool, charged with domestic violence for allegedly hitting a man in the forehead and waking him up to begin fighting on Sept. 2 in St. Clair Township. She also threw his lunch box and other items and urinated in his water bottle.

A sentencing hearing was set Oct. 21 for Tyler Fickle, 31, Samuel Street, East Liverpool, who pleaded no contest and was found guilty of domestic violence and aggravated menacing. He was ordered to have no contact with the victims. Fickle allegedly threatened a man and a woman with a knife during an argument on Oct. 7 in St. Clair Township.

A pretrial was set Dec. 16 for Ashley Rhodes, 37, state Route 344, Leetonia, charged with endangering children and possession of drug abuse instrument for allegedly having multiple used needles in plain view in a bedroom where an overdose occurred, accessible to children in the home on Oct. 3 in Salem Township. When she was placed into custody on Oct. 5, she was found with a capped used needle in her pocket and a clear plastic bag containing white powder.

Joshua Matthew McBride, 33, Butler, Pa., was fined $250 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for criminal mischief amended from engaging in prostitution. A charge of possessing criminal tools was dismissed. McBride was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and an online prostitution prevention course. McBride was accused of responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with a female in exchange for $50 to be paid with the Cash App and then traveling to East Palestine for the meeting on May 14.

Jerry Matthew Burns, 47, Oil City, 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 an online prostitution prevention course. Burns responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with a female in exchange for $220, traveling to East Palestine on April 26 for the meeting.

Mark Devon Guenther, 61, Coraopolis, 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 an online prostitution prevention course. Guenther was accused of responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging to have sexual activity with a female in exchange for $100, traveling to East Palestine on July 5 for the meeting, with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Joseph J. Desarro, 31, Duke Road, East Liverpool, was fined $100 for criminal trespass for entering a condemned home on Cadmus Street, East Liverpool on March 19.

A charge of maximum permissible height of weeds was dismissed against Bonnie Wern, 73, Seventh Avenue, East Liverpool, who was ordered to pay court costs after stipulating to probable cause. She had been accused of failing to cut weeds at an East Liverpool property on June 16.

A motion hearing was set Dec. 2 for Christian McVay, 30, state Route 154, Lisbon, charged with operating a vehicle impaired first offense, possession of drugs, OVI controlled substance marijuana and a turn signal violation for allegedly possessing marijuana during a traffic stop on May 24 in East Palestine.

Brady Leyman, 24, McCracken Road, Salem, was fined $1,400 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 160 days suspended, leaving 20 days still to serve in jail for OVI second offense, failure to reinstate and left of center. His driver’s license was suspended for 18 months, with driving privileges granted, and he was ordered to complete 80 hour community service. An additional OVI charge was dismissed.

A pretrial was set Dec. 17 for Kaitlyn McDevitt, 35, Smithfield Street, East Liverpool, charged with OVI first offense, OVI breath and assured clear distance.

A pretrial was set Jan. 14 for Amari Jones, 22, Garfield Heights, charged with OVI first offense, OVI concentration of marijuana and improper/expired registration.

A pretrial was set Dec. 16 for Brittany DeMarco, 35, East Lincoln Way, Lisbon, charged with OVI second offense and marked lanes.

A pretrial was set Jan. 13 for Ragan Miller, 22, West Southern Avenue, Columbiana, charged with OVI first offense, no seat belt and reasonable control.

David Deitz, 33, Homeworth Road, Homeworth, was fined $975 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for reckless operation and physical control amended from OVI first offense. A charge of no seat belt was dismissed. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service. His driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted.

Brian Edward Smith, 52, East Fifth Street, Salem, was fined $945 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for OVI first offense, no seat belt and loud exhaust. Another OVI charge was dismissed. His driver’s license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted.

Ryan Gregory, 38, Akron, was fined $100 for failure to use turn signal, with a charge of OVI dismissed.

A pretrial was set Dec. 16 for Malik Marrow, 26, Youngstown, charged with two counts of driving under suspension and two counts speeding. A charge of possessing marijuana was dismissed.

A pretrial was set Jan. 14 for Christy Rohn, 33, Front Street, Negley, charged with driving under suspension.

David Bello, 75, Winona Road, Salem, was fined $190 for improper backing and an equipment violation amended from failure to stop after an accident.

Aaron Smith, 42, Alliance, was fined $250 for forfeiture.

Matthew Constantino, 24, Niles, was found not guilty of a windshield violation, with a driving under suspension charge dismissed.

Dalton Mincks, 25, Johnson Road, North Benton, was fined $150 for unsafe vehicle amended from speeding.

Heather Thomas, 36, Alliance, was fined $100 for wrongful entrustment.

Gary Wilms, 84, Beechwood Drive, Columbiana, was fined $50 for reasonable control.

Joseph Savin, 38, Clark Avenue, Wellsville, was fined $280 for driving under suspension and no seat belt.

Brenton Galeoti, 21, Maple Street, Salem, was fined $150 for unauthorized plate. A charge of OVI first offense was dismissed.