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Courts

Common Pleas

New Cases

Shyanne Harper, Paris, and Cole Harper, Canton; dissolution sought.

Steve Johnson, South Lincoln Avenue, Salem, vs. Sarah Johnson, West Wilson Street, Salem; divorce sought.

Jill Griffith, Highland Avenue East, Salem, vs. Matthew Griffith, Highland Avenue East, Salem; divorce sought.

Ford Motor Credit Company LLC, Colorado Springs, Colo. vs. Ronald Arter, Apples Way Drive, Leetonia, et al.; collection sought of alleged $12,604 debt.

Gayle Latulippe, Beaver, Pa., vs. Christopher Kinnear, D.O., River Valley Physicians and Ricky Clay Jr., M.D., all of West Fifth Street, East Liverpool; damages sought for claims of alleged negligence and medical malpractice.

Court News

LISBON — A Negley woman accused of stealing money from Norfolk Southern through a forged rental receipt and false statements related to allegedly being displaced after the 2023 train crash is going to prison.

Melissa Blake, 42, Quay Road, Negley, was sentenced to nine months in prison for fourth-degree felonies of grand theft and falsification in a theft case and fifth-degree felony forgery, along with a misdemeanor charge of possession of drugs during a sentencing hearing in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.

She received credit for six days served in jail.

According to court documents, Blake was accused of collecting $19,690 from Norfolk Southern for a forged rent deposit and fake rental agreement related to being displaced after the 2023 train crash. She was also accused of making false statements. The time period listed on the indictment was Feb. 5, 2023 to Aug. 31, 2023. The drug charge stemmed from Blake possessing methamphetamine on Sept. 12, 2022.

The amount of restitution will be determined during a civil action, according to the judgment entry.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Larry Ward Sr., 54, Anderson Avenue, Wellsville, was placed under community control for 18 months after pleading guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on Aug. 7, 2021.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary hearing was set Dec. 5 for Michael William Dailey, 40, North Lincoln Avenue, Salem, charged with first-degree felony aggravated burglary and second-degree felony kidnapping for attempting to remove a child after entering a Lisbon area residence unwanted. A physical altercation allegedly occurred with the homeowner and Dailey attempted to escape the residence with the child, with all three falling down the porch steps onto the front yard and the mother then retrieving the child on Nov. 28 in Center Township.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Dec. 3 for James Robert Lemmon, 41, Mingo Junction, charged with fourth-degree felony attempted, fifth-degree felony trafficking in drugs and misdemeanors of engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for allegedly responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual acts with a female in exchange for drugs, traveling to East Palestine on Nov. 25 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession. He also allegedly possessed 14 individually packaged baggies of marijuana and on Nov. 28 he allegedly contacted a woman to factory reset his cell phone and walked her through the steps to do it.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Dec. 5 for Melanie Watkins, 43, Canton, charged with fourth-degree felony promote prostitution-transport across state lines for sex for hire and misdemeanor soliciting for allegedly soliciting sexual conduct for an agreed upon price of $100 from an undercover agent and transporting another woman for a sex for hire arrangement, then driving the other woman and herself to Salem for the meeting on Sept. 14.

Andrew Warneke, 26, West Chestnut Street, Lisbon, was fined $600 and sentenced to 60 days in jail, with 40 days suspended and credit for one day served, leaving a balance of 19 days to serve in jail for three counts of sexual imposition. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim. Warneke was accused of acts of sexual imposition involving a teen between Aug. 2021 and spring/summer 2022.

A pretrial was set Feb. 6 for Kacandra Seddon, 43, North 16th Street, Sebring, charged with assault for an alleged incident at Family Dollar in Salem on Aug. 16 when Seddon, described as a disgruntled customer, was allegedly agitated about an item not being able to be returned and sliding the item across the counter at the clerk, striking her in the stomach where she had recently had surgery.

A pretrial was set Feb. 11 for Brooke Cooper, 18, state Route 7, New Waterford, charged with domestic violence for allegedly kicking and hitting a juvenile on Nov. 16 in New Waterford, Elkrun Township.

A pretrial was set Dec. 5 for Weston Meek, 55, Fredericktown Clarkson Road, Negley, charged with obstructing official business and aggravated menacing for allegedly threatening a neighbor on May 30 in Negley. On June 22 in Negley, he was allegedly uncooperative and ran away from sheriff’s deputies who were conducting an investigation about possession of a firearm. An affidavit said he ran into his residence and entry was forced by a deputy to detain him.

A pretrial was set March 13 or Courtney Norris, 30, Church Street Extension, Salineville, charged with endangering children for allegedly driving a vehicle with five juveniles not wearing safety belts and not in proper car seats during a traffic stop on Nov. 27 in Salineville.

A pretrial was set Dec. 16 for Taira Scullion, 34, East Sixth Street, Salem, charged with possession of drug abuse instrument for allegedly possessing syringes on Nov. 27 in Salem.

A pretrial was set Feb. 25 for Ryan Pritt, 42, Lisbon Street, East Liverpool, charged with three counts of sidewalk obstruction for alleged violations in East Liverpool on Oct. 21, Oct. 28 and Oct. 30

A pretrial was set March 17 for Joseph Detore, 29, Spring Grove Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing suspected methamphetamine in a pocket during a traffic stop on July 19 in St. Clair Township.

Brendon Lee Crum, 21, Amherst, was fined $100 for a miscellaneous wildlife violation from Oct. 19 in Wayne Township.

A pretrial was set Feb. 3 for Lucas Kroesen, 33, Cadmus Street, East Liverpool, charged with weapons while intoxicated, operating a vehicle impaired first offense, OVI breath first offense and failure to yield right of way. Kroesen possessed a loaded handgun and had another loaded handgun in a bag in the rear passenger seat during a traffic stop when he was allegedly impaired in East Liverpool on Nov. 24.

A pretrial was set March 17 for Shane Murphy, 19, Steubenville Pike Road, Lisbon, charged with possession of marijuana.

A pretrial was set Jan. 6 for Bradly McKenzie, 43, state Route 267, East Liverpool, charged with speeding.

Ross Cline, 48, Austintown, was fined $50 for traffic control devices.

Dameon Lovett, 44, Pennsylvania Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $150 for driving under suspension.

Trey Mango, 24, Gills Lane, Hanoverton, was fined $50 for speeding.

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