Common Pleas

New Cases

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Rebecca Lynn Paulos, North Shore Drive, Beloit; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for North Shore Drive, Beloit property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Michael McCullough, Old state Route 344, Leetonia, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Old state Route 344, Leetonia property.

ABL Wholesale Distributors Inc., state Route 14, Columbiana, vs. Shubkaram Singh Raina, Northfield, et al.; collection sought of alleged $35,961 debt.

Glenda Mike, Broadway Avenue, Wellsville, vs. Charles Webber, Adkins Drive, East Liverpool, et al.; damages sought for personal injury/insurance claim over 2023 traffic crash.

Docket Entries

County Treasurer vs. Kenley Cunningham, et al.; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Robert Luketic Jr., et al.; sheriff sale canceled.

Court News

LISBON — An East Liverpool man accused of attempting to harm a police officer with a deadly weapon and striking a woman last summer entered a guilty plea to a lesser offense of felonious assault.

Kenneth R. Taylor, 45, Avondale Street, pleaded guilty to a second-degree felony as part of the plea agreement in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.

The felonious assault was originally a first-degree felony. Charges of fourth-degree felony domestic violence and misdemeanor resisting arrest will be dismissed.

Sentencing was set for May 9.

Taylor was accused of striking a woman in the face during a domestic on July 20, 2024 in East Liverpool. When police arrived, Taylor was allegedly armed with knives, refused to obey commands and advanced toward officers and was tased several times before he stopped resisting. He allegedly caused or attempted to cause harm to the officer by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance identified as a hatchet/brass knuckles/knife.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Timothy Keyes, 45, Toronto, pleaded guilty to felonious assault, a second-degree felony, for striking a man in the head with a pipe on July 15, 2023 in East Liverpool. Sentencing was set for May 22.

— Allen Owens, 60, Riceville, Tenn., was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony. He received credit for 96 days already served in jail. He was also designated a Tier II sex offender required to register his address with law enforcement. According to the indictment, Owens had sexual contact with child from April 21, 2019 to Dec. 20, 2023 starting when the child was 6 years old.

— Thomas A. Watkins, 52, North Avenue, East Palestine, pleaded guilty to misdemeanors of domestic violence and cruelty to companion animals, with sentencing set for May 9. Felony charges of domestic violence and strangulation will be dismissed. The charges all stemmed from a July 3, 2024 incident in East Palestine when Watkins was accused of making obscene comments to a woman, then dragging her dog out of the kennel by his neck, picking him up by his neck and throwing him at her. The dog hit her and fell to the ground and while the victim was attempting to get her dog, Watkins threw a muffin pan at her, hitting her in the back. An affidavit said she then threw the pan back towards him and he allegedly retaliated by grabbing her by the arm, punching her in the jaw and putting his hands around her throat, causing her to not be able to breathe. She struck him in the eye and he let go of her and as she was leaving with her dog, he allegedly pushed her out the back door.

— Casey Carter, 33, East Liverpool Road, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to charges from two separate indictments. The charges included theft from a person in a protected class, telecommunications fraud, possession of cocaine, possession of heroin and possession of fentanyl-related compound, all fifth-degree felonies, with sentencing set for May 16. Carter was accused of devising a scheme and stealing money from two people over a weeklong period from Jan. 17, 2023 to Jan. 23, 2023. She was also accused of possessing cocaine, heroin and fentanyl on March 10, 2023.

— Seth Portwood, 20, Elton Road, Columbiana, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer for a pursuit that started in Salem in the Walmart parking lot, traveled into Leetonia and ended outside Columbiana state Route 164 at Renkenberger Road on May 24, 2024. Sentencing was set for May 12.

— April Foutts, 56, Riverside Avenue, Wellsville, pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, with sentencing set for May 9. Foutts possessed methamphetamine and tampered with evidence on June 8, 2022.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, Julian Richard Smith, 37, Tarentum, Pa., was fined $350 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for possessing criminal tools and disorderly conduct amended from engaging in prostitution. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and a prostitution prevention online course. Smith responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and requested sexual activity with a female in exchange for $140, then arrived in East Palestine for the meeting on Dec. 31, 2024 with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Trevaun Maurice Jones, 29, Youngstown, was fined $350 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for possessing criminal tools and disorderly conduct amended from engaging in prostitution. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and a prostitution prevention online course. Jones responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and requested sexual acts from a female in exchange for $40, then drove to East Palestine on Nov. 10, 2024 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

A pretrial was set June 2 for Jeremy Allan Slobogian, 43, Saxonburg, Pa., charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools for allegedly responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranging for sexual activity with females in exchange for $260, then arriving in East Palestine on Feb. 22 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Reese Jerad Slappy, 36, Princeton Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $250 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 89 days suspended and credit for one day served, for obstructing official business and disorderly conduct. Slappy was accused of yelling and acting belligerent when officers were attempting to investigate a physical altercation, disobeying police commands on May 19, 2024 in East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set March 20 for Katherine Cox, 29, whose last known address was listed as South 12th Street, Sebring, charged with illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a clear glass smoking device on March 8 in Liverpool Township after officers made entry into a barricaded room where she had allegedly been armed with a firearm. She said the smoking device was used for meth.

Hollie Blystone, no age listed, Pennsylvania Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $500 each for six counts of failure to file city income tax return, with all the fines suspended with the understanding that she file all returns and make payments. Blystone failed to file East Liverpool city income tax returns from 2019 through 2024.

A pretrial was set May 20 for Cierra Wilson, also known as Cierra Pyles, 31, Westfield Road, East Liverpool, charged with five counts of failure to file city income tax return for allegedly failing to file East Liverpool city income tax returns from 2019 through 2023.

W.R. Sean Broadbent and Patricia Broadbent, no ages listed, both Rubicon Street, East Liverpool, were each fined $500 for each of the five counts of failure to pay city income tax and one count of failure to file city income tax return, with all of the fines suspended on the condition that they comply with the payment plan and file/pay all returns when due. Both were accused of failing to include payment with East Liverpool city income tax returns from 2019 through 2023 and failing to file an East Liverpool city income tax return in 2024.

Robert Guy, 60, East Liverpool Road, Lisbon, was fined $250 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for drug paraphernalia for possessing an unknown powder/crystal substance and a cut straw when a narcotics search warrant was being executed in St. Clair Township on Dec. 19, 2024.

Rachel Carter, 39, Ohio Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $50 for criminal trespass for trespassing in a condemned home in East Liverpool on March 5.

Jeffrey Knoblock, 26, Taylor Road, Rogers, was sentenced to five days in jail for violating his probation for a drug paraphernalia charge from 2023.

A pretrial was set May 8 for Andrew Conoboy, 21, North Lincoln Avenue, Salem, charged with operating a vehicle impaired second offense, no seat belt and marked lanes.

A pretrial was set May 8 for Thomas Castilloux, 35, East Grant Street, Alliance, charged with OVI and reasonable control.

A pretrial was set June 2 for Shane Emerick, 34, Beaver Falls, Pa., charged with driving under suspension and reasonable control.

A pretrial was set June 2 for Sarah Crooms, 40, Hazel Run Road, Salineville, charged with driving under suspension.

A pretrial was set May 6 for Chase Haney, 18, Duncan Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with loud exhaust.

Trevor Gough, 26, Union Street, Columbiana, was fined $300 for stopped school bus.

Katherine Bradford, 82, Willoughby, was fined $150 for an equipment violation amended from a stop sign violation.

Ian Wellington, 53, Fife Coal Road, Wellsville, was fined $350 for driving under suspension and operation without proof of financial responsibility.

Lana Judy, 82, Camp Boulevard, Hanoverton, was fined $50 for an equipment violation amended from assured clear distance.

Brittany Moore, 34, North Pleasant Drive, East Palestine, was fined $300 for reasonable control and failure to report accident amended from leaving the scene.