Court News

LISBON — An East Liverpool man accused of engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old child last year pleaded guilty to second-degree felony sexual battery.

Robert M. Pressley, 37, Manor Lane, entered the plea in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court. He will face sentencing on May 18. A charge of third-degree felony unlawful sexual conduct with a minor will be dismissed.

Pressley was accused of engaging in sexual activity with the child victim on June 29, 2025.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Sidni R. Livolsi, 37, Maplewood Avenue, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to bribery, a third-degree felony, and misdemeanor criminal trespass, with sentencing set for May 8. Livolsi was being transported to the county jail by a Wellsville police officer on Dec. 17, 2024 when she allegedly offered him $12,000 to $14,000 to dismiss the charges and drop her off in East Liverpool, a police affidavit in county Municipal Court said. He denied any offers of money and told her that’s a charge. The officer had recorded the drive because she had allegedly been very argumentative and disruptive, so there was a recording of her trying to bribe the officer. Livolsi had been taken into custody for criminal trespass for allegedly being on the porch of a home in Wellsville on Dec. 17, 2024, one day after she was trespassed from the property and told she would be arrested if she returned.

— Douglas A. Davis, 54, Walnut Ridge Road, Salineville, pleaded guilty to a lesser offense of second-degree felony failure to provide notice of change of address, with sentencing set for April 30. He was originally charged with a first-degree felony. A misdemeanor falsification charge will be dismissed. David was accused of falsifying his address on the sex offender registration on Nov. 3, 2025, with the sheriff’s office learning on Jan. 8, 2026 that he had not been living at the address for several months.

— Frank Bursick, 63, East Liverpool Road, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and received a mandatory $5,000 fine for a lesser-included offense of aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony, with a specification for forfeiture of money from a drug cases. He was ordered to forfeit $183. The drug charge was originally a second-degree felony. Charges to be dismissed include second-degree felony aggravated trafficking in drugs and misdemeanors of engaging in prostitution, possessing criminal tools and dealing in drug paraphernalia. He had been indicted for allegedly trafficking and possessing methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than five times bulk but less than 50 times bulk, possessing $183, arranging for a sex for hire meeting and possessing drug paraphernalia and a cell phone used to make the arrangements for the sex for hire meeting on Dec. 6, 2024.

— James C. Bollinger, 35, West Martin Street, East Palestine, was sentenced to 204 days in the county jail, with credit for 174 days served, leaving a balance of 30 days to served in jail for violating the terms of his probation for fourth-degree felony grand theft. His probation was dishonorably terminated. Bollinger was accused of presenting altered Holiday Inn invoices to Norfolk Southern totaling $12,451 and being reimbursed for that total on Sept. 19, 2023.

— Rachel Ashley Hendricks, 26, Jennings Avenue, Salem, was placed under community control for five years after pleading guilty to illegal use of supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits or WIC program benefits, a fourth-degree felony lesser offense from the original third-degree felony charge. a charge of grand theft, a fourth-degree felony, was dismissed. She was ordered to pay restitution of $26,458 to the Department of Job and Family Services through the Clerk of Courts Office. She was indicted for using SNAP benefits in an unauthorized way from March 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025 and depriving the Department of Job and Family Services of $26,458 from Aug. 1, 2023 to Aug. 31, 2025.

— Michael S. Harrington, 35, Chester Avenue, Wellsville, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault, with a fourth-degree felony strangulation charge dismissed. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served. He was placed under community control for 24 months. He was accused of putting his hands around a woman’s throat and putting her in a choke hold on July 13, 2025 in Wellsville.

— Homer Carnes Jr., 46, state Route 154, Lisbon, was sentenced to 45 days in the county jail,with credit for 11 days served, leaving a balance of 34 days to serve after pleading guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence, a lesser-included offense to the original fourth-degree felony charge. A charge of endangering children will be dismissed. Carnes was accused of assaulting a juvenile by grabbing him by the neck while holding him against a trailer, striking him in the head and throwing him to the ground on July 10, 2025 in Lisbon.

— Andre L. Owens, 27, Warren, was fined $500 after pleading guilty to a lesser-included offense of misdemeanor assault. He was originally charged with fifth-degree felony domestic violence for physically harming a woman on Feb. 18, 2025.

Common Pleas

New Cases

Ashley N. Mills, Thomas Road, Lisbon, vs. Zachary Thomas Mills, Caldwell; divorce sought.

Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, Plano, Texas, vs. Marcia E. Hutton, John Street, Salineville; collection sought of alleged $17,076 debt.

John S. Karash, Lake Milton, vs. Nikki T. Tran and Cindy N. Vo, both Canfield, and Erie Insurance Company, Canton; damages sought for alleged personal injury/insurance claims related to 2024 traffic crash.

Docket Entries

William G. Jones II, et al. vs. Adam M. Sweda, et al.; Judge Scott Washam recused self from hearing case.

Elizabeth A. Mackall vs. Luke W. Mackall; divorce granted.