Common Pleas

New Cases

Tonya Taylor, East State Street, Salem, and Samuel Taylor, Madison, Ind.; dissolution sought.

Rachelle Macias, North Front Street, Negley, and Jeremie Macias, North Front Street, Negley; dissolution sought.

Docket Entries

John Ewing vs. Claudette Miller, et al.; case settled and dismissed.

McConnell Columbiana Property, LLC vs. John Beno, et al.; default judgment granted against defendants Ben Carman, Ben Carman Jr., unknown spouse of Ben Carman Jr., Bruce Carman, Marcy Carman, Alex Carman and Jenna Carman, plaintiff entitled to access to property by unmaintained or abandoned portion of Crosser Road.

Linda Thomas vs. Gregory Thomas; divorce granted.

Court News

LISBON — An East Liverpool man accused of assaulting a woman at a Halloween party in East Liverpool last year pleaded guilty in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court to aggravated assault, with sentencing set for Nov. 25.

Tyler Woolmaker, 20, Idaho Avenue, had been ordered evaluated by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio and on Friday was found competent by Judge Megan Bickerton to stand trial, with a plea then entered.

Woolmaker had been indicted for felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and misdemeanor assault for showing up at a Halloween party on Oct. 28, 2023 in East Liverpool and striking a woman in the head with a whiskey bottle. He pleaded guilty to a lesser-included offense, fourth-degree felony aggravated assault, with the misdemeanor assault charge dismissed.

— A Pennsylvania woman accused of trying to harm a deputy by striking the rear of his cruiser with her car was sentenced to at least three years in prison as part of her punishment.

Amberlina N. Gentsy, 30, Monaca, Pa., appeared Tuesday in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for sentencing.

She entered guilty pleas in August to a lesser offense of felonious assault, a second-degree felony, along with third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and misdemeanor operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or combination of them. She was originally charged with a felonious assault second-degree felony charge which noted the victim was a law enforcement officer.

The charges all stemmed from a traffic pursuit on April 3, 2021 when Gentsy was driving a 2020 Nissan Versa and struck the rear of a Columbiana County sheriff deputy’s cruiser after the vehicle slowed in front of her at the intersection of state Routes 154 and 45 during the vehicle chase.

Gentsy was sentenced to 12 months in prison for the failure to comply charge which must be served prior to the felonious assault. She received an additional indefinite term of two to three years for the felonious assault, bringing the total to at least three years and possibly a fourth year if the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections decides she should stay. A 180-day jail term for the OVI was ordered served at the same time as the other terms. She received credit for 662 days already served in jail, which will reduce the time she’s in prison.

She also received a mandatory fine of $375 and her driver’s license was suspended for three years.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Donna Jean Potts, 35, Avondale Street, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to charges in two separate indictments and was immediately sentenced to prison. Potts was sentenced to 18 months in prison for third-degree felony burglary, and 180 days each for misdemeanors of assault and arson, with the terms to be served concurrently, at the same time, but consecutive to the other case involving drugs and endangering children. She received credit for 149 days served. A first-degree felony aggravated burglary charge was dismissed. Potts had been accused of using a propane torch to destroy several items in an East Liverpool home and assaulting the resident on Feb. 26 this year.

In the other case, she was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs and 180 days each in the county jail for two counts of misdemeanor endangering children, with all the terms to be served at the same time with each other. She received credit for 196 days served. She also received a mandatory fine of $5,000. Potts possessed methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than bulk, but less than five times bulk and put two kids at risk, ages 7 and 9 years old, on July 28, 2021.

— Ryan Blystone, 45, Claibourne Street, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony lesser included offense and possession of fentanyl-related compound, a fourth-degree felony. The aggravated drug charge was originally a second-degree felony. On May 16, 2023, Blystone was accused of possessing methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk and possessing fentanyl in an amount equal or greater than 1 gram but less than 5 grams. The prison term was ordered served consecutive to an 18-month prison term he’s already serving for third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and misdemeanors of operating a vehicle impaired, driving under suspension and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for charges stemming from an April 15 traffic stop attempt when Blystone accelerated at a high rate of speed and fled before crashing on state Route 267, fleeing on foot and being found in an area of brush. He had a clear glass smoking device with visible residue in his possession.

— Katherine Harpold, 22, Spring Grove Avenue, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to endangering children, a third-degree felony, with sentencing set for Jan. 13. A second count of endangering children will be dismissed. Harpold was accused of creating a risk of harm to a 2-month-old child on Sept. 29, 2022.

— Samuel Lalley, 32, West Salem Street, Columbiana, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony tampering with evidence and two counts of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity oriented material, a fifth-degree felony, amended two counts of fourth-degree felony pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, with sentencing set for Jan. 6. Three counts of fourth-degree felony pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person will be dismissed. Lalley was accused of resetting his cell phone and not coming out of a room with the door shut when officers called out to him during the execution of a search warrant for electronic items Dec. 6, 2023 in Columbiana. He allegedly admitted the phone contained criminal files on it and that he threw it under his bed.

— Don Talbert, 30, Seventh Street, Wellsville, was placed on a treatment plan for two years after pleading guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing delt-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on April 13, 2023. He received credit for one day served in jail.

— Christopher West, 31, North Lincoln Avenue, Salem, was ordered to serve 180 days in the county jail, with credit for one day served, after violating his probation for domestic violence. His probation was dishonorably terminated. The charge stemmed from an incident May 13, 2023 when he caused harm to a woman.

— Terry Sonntog, 49, last known address Warren Avenue, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for charges from three separate indictments, including fifth-degree felony grand theft, fifth-degree felony breaking and entering, third-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, and fifth-degree felony permitting drug abuse. A charge of aggravated trafficking in drugs was dismissed. Sonntog broke into a man’s property and stole two barge propellers valued at $30,000 each on Nov. 14, 2023. On April 18, 2022, Sonntog allowed property to be used for commission of a felony drug offense and on Sept. 8, 2022, Sonntog possessed methamphetamine. He received credit for 82 days in jail and received a mandatory fine of $5,000 for the drug charge.

— Nicholas Conway, 44, Morris Road, Lisbon, was sentenced to 12 month in prison for two separate indictments for fourth-degree felony grand theft of a motor vehicle, fifth-degree felony improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle and misdemeanors of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs third offense, operating a vehicle while under the influence of a listed controlled substance or a listed metabolite of a controlled substance and driving under suspension. He received credit for 157 days already served. His driver’s license was suspended for one year. Conway possessed a pistol while impaired during a traffic stop on Dec. 13, 2023 in Madison Township. On March 19, 2020, he stole a 2006 Chrysler belonging to someone else.

— Mark Kireta, 56, Chester Avenue, Wellsville, pleaded guilty to a lesser-included offense of third-degree felony burglary, originally a second-degree felony, with sentencing set for Jan. 10. A charge of misdemeanor theft will be dismissed. Kireta was accused of breaking into a home on Chester Avenue, Wellsville and stealing $40 and a Power Ranger action figure on March 17.

— Cody Lawson, 28, Berlin Center, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree felony domestic violence for striking a woman in the ribs and mouth and ripping her hair during a domestic on March 9 in Perry Township. Sentencing was set for Jan. 10.

— Matthew Marshall, 24, Somer Street, Leetonia, was sentenced to consecutive sentences totaling 16 months in prison for fifth-degree felonies of theft, passing bad checks, forgery and aggravated possession of drugs. He received credit for 13 days served in jail. From April 22, 2023 to May 2, 2023, Marshall stole $2,565 from another man and issued bad checks totaling $2,565 with the purpose to defraud him and the Thirsty Night Golf League and forged the checks payable to himself. He possessed methamphetamine on Aug. 27, 2023.

— Randy Newberry, 65, Morris Road, Lisbon, was sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to charges from two separate indictments for fifth-degree felonies of two counts aggravated possession of drugs, possession of cocaine, and misdemeanor operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of both of them-OVI. Charges of driving under suspension, OVI and invalid license plate were dismissed. He received credit of three days and five days served in jail. He received a mandatory fine of $525 and his driver’s license was suspended for one year. He possessed methamphetamine and committed the traffic offenses on June 28, 2023. He was accused of possessing methamphetamine and cocaine on March 6, 2023.