Common Pleas

New Cases

Cassandra Householder, Aetna Street, Salem, and Corey Householder, North Madison Street, Salem; dissolution sought.

Docket Entries

Randy Shafer Jr. vs. Nicole Shafer; divorce granted.

CSMC 2017-2 Trust vs. Tammy Owens, et al.; mortgage foreclosure ordered for Lincoln Street, Salineville property.

U.S. Bank National Association vs. Jennifer Reed; case stayed due to bankruptcy.

Citifinancial Servicing, LLC vs. Jeffrey McGraw, et al.; defendant’s motion for partial relief from judgment denied.

NewRez LLC vs. Cynthia Cook, et al.; case dismissed.

Marriage Licenses

Jason Mellon, 46, Lisbon, oilfield laborer, and Tara Russell, 46, East Liverpool, disability.

Daniel McCarthy, 62, Negley, self employed, and Sheila McCarthy, 59, Poland, housewife.

Ryan Kincaid, 27, East Palestine, facility & grounds manager, and Katerra Harris, also known as Katerra Figley, 29, East Palestine, claims examiner.

Max Hutchison, 62, East Liverpool, retired, and Melody Green, 61, East Liverpool, retired.

Patrick Evans, 31, Salem, mechanic, and Taylor Hostetter, 23, Salem, college/substitute.

Gregory Lengyel, 50, Sharon, Pa., electrician, and Pipe Tunno, 46, Lisbon, self-employed.

Grand Jury

LISBON — Robert Westlake, 51, Anderson Boulevard, East Liverpool, was served Friday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for two counts of nonsupport of dependents, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly failing to pay child support for two children from Nov. 6, 2022 to Nov. 3, 2024.

Court News

LISBON — A Wellsville man accused of causing a head-on collision that injured a couple in 2023 and then fleeing the scene is going to prison.

Trenton Gill, 22, 10th Street, appeared for sentencing recently in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court where he was ordered to prison for 15 months for a lesser offense of vehicular assault, a fourth-degree felony, and fifth-degree felony failure to stop after an accident. The vehicular assault was originally a third-degree felony.

The sentence included seven months for the failure to stop after an accident charge, but the terms were served concurrently, at the same time, for a total of 15 months. He received credit for 101 days already served in jail.

Gill’s driver’s license was suspended for three years.

Gill was accused of attempting to pass on a double yellow line and causing a head-on collision with another vehicle, fleeing the scene on foot on May 6, 2023 in Madison Township on state Route 45. Gill was accused of causing serious physical harm to Steven and Lisa Cunningham after striking their vehicle.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Rachael Butler, 60, Chagrin Falls, was ordered evaluated by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio for competency to stand trial and the ability to plead not guilty by reason of insanity for third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer. She allegedly fled from Salem Police attempting a traffic stop on Aug. 28.

— Amber Ice, 32, 10th Street, Wellsville, was ordered to spend 180 days in the county jail for violating her probation for fifth-degree felonies of aggravated possession of drugs and possession of LSD, with specifications for forfeiture of money in a drug case. She received credit for 18 days already served, leaving a balance of 162 days still to serve in jail. She possessed $792, methamphetamine and LSD on March 10, 2021.

— Kevin Caldwell, 24, state Route 46, New Waterford, was placed on a treatment plan for two years after pleading guilty to fourth-degree felony possession of fentanyl-related compound and fifth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine and possession of fentanyl-related compound. Caldwell possessed fentanyl in an amount equal or greater than 10 unit doses, but less than 50 unit doses, along with cocaine on Aug. 28, 2023 and possessed fentanyl on Sept. 2, 2023.

— James Merino, 45, Slater Road, Salem, was placed on a treatment plan for two years after pleading guilty to possession of heroin and possession of fentanyl-related compound, both fifth-degree felonies. He received credit for one day served in jail. Merino possessed heroin and fentanyl on Aug. 2, 2022.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary hearing was set Jan. 16 for Joseph Savin, 38, Clark Avenue, Wellsville, charged with second-degree felony burglary and fourth-degree felony grand theft, with arraignment also set Jan. 16 for misdemeanor possession of drug abuse instrument. Savin allegedly stole a Kubota from a garage he broke into in Wellsville, with the Kubota reported missing on Jan. 3. He was pulled over with the Kubota in East Palestine and allegedly admitted to taking it and leaving it on a friend’s property in Toronto. On Sept. 9, 2024, he allegedly possessed a syringe during a traffic stop in Center Township.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Jan. 16 for Caitlin O’Brien, 33, Spring Grove Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with fourth-degree felony assault, fifth-degree felony criminal endangerment and misdemeanors of two counts criminal trespass for allegedly being inside a man’s vehicle without consent, creating a substantial risk of physical harm to the property on Jan. 5 in East Liverpool, then throwing a punch at an East Liverpool police officer’s face when she was taken into custody and was being taken to East Liverpool City Hospital for treatment prior to going to jail. On Dec. 31, 2024 she was accused of walking into a condemned home in East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set Jan. 16 for Louis Huyghe II, 45, East Sixth Street, Salem, charged with domestic violence for allegedly punching and a kicking a juvenile and grabbing him by the throat during an incident Jan. 5 in Salem.

A pretrial was set Jan. 16 for Mark Knight, 25, Pinewood Drive, New Waterford, charged with domestic violence for allegedly striking a woman and threatening to assault a male at a New Waterford residence on Jan. 3.

George L. Baughman, 53, Toronto, was fined $750 and given a suspended 30-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. He was accused of responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with a female in exchange for $100, then traveling to East Palestine on April 19, 2024 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

A pretrial was set April 8 for Randell Smith, 45, Akron, charged with possessing criminal tools and soliciting for allegedly posting an ad on a known prostitution website which listed acts of sexual conduct and then arranged to perform sexual conduct with an undercover agent posing as a purchaser of sex for $250, then driving to Salem for the meeting on Jan. 3 with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Steven Slagle, 35, Fawcett Street, East Liverpool, was fined $400 and sentenced to 21 days in jail, with credit for 10 days served, leaving a balance of 11 days still to serve in jail for two counts of theft. He was accused of stealing a box of frozen hamburgers from Dollar General in East Liverpool on July 13, 2024 and stealing items from Dunhams in Calcutta on June 14, 2024. He was ordered to serve an additional five days in jail for violating his probation on a 2023 case for disorderly conduct and menacing by stalking, bringing his total jail term to 16 days.

Emily Slepski, 26, state Route 46, New Waterford, was fined $150 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for disorderly conduct amended from furnishing alcohol to underage person. She was accused of selling a bottle of beer to an 18-year-old while bartending at Homestead Kitchen in Columbiana on Oct. 11, 2024.

A charge of criminal mischief was dismissed against Andrew Bulford, 20, Butcher Road, Salem, who stipulated to probable cause, with court costs taxed to the state. Bulford was accused of shooting paintballs at a house on Longs Crossing Road, Leetonia as part of a paintball prank at random houses on March 19, 2023, causing damage to the siding.

A charge of passing bad checks was dismissed against Bobbie Jo Birch, 51, Calcutta Smith Ferry Road, East Liverpool, who stipulated to probable cause and was ordered to pay court costs. Birch was accused of writing a bad check to Calcutta Giant Eagle for $106.84 on Oct. 7, 2024

Paul Kloh, 54, Newton Falls, was fined $150 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 29 days suspended and credit for one day served for drug paraphernalia and unsafe vehicle. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service. Kloh possessed a plastic container with a blue snort straw with white residue inside during a traffic stop on June 26 in Columbiana.

Shelly Schuster, 53, Pittsburgh, Pa., was fined $875 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for operating a vehicle impaired. A speeding charge was dismissed. Her driver’s license was suspended for one year.

Angelo Sposato, 21, Broadway Avenue, Wellsville, was fined $850 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 150 days suspended, leaving 30 days still to serve in jail for OVI underage breath third offense, driving under suspension and marked lanes. His driver’s license was suspended for five years. He was ordered to complete 100 hours community service.

A pretrial was set March 11 for Chase Haney, 18, Duncan Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with reckless operation.

A pretrial was set March 11 for Jonathan Fracchione, 39, Carey Road, Salem, charged with speeding.

Gregorio Matom, 24, West Wilson Street, Salem, was fined $50 for a stop sign violation, with a distracted driving charge dismissed.