Common Pleas

New Cases

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Charles E. Fitch, Old Monroeville Road, Salineville, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Old Monroeville Road, Salineville property.

County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Timothy S. Harris, U.S. Route 62, Salem, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for U.S. Route 62, Salem property.

American Express National Bank, Independence, vs. Sean C. Ely, North Ellsworth Avenue, Salem; collection sought of alleged $8,775 debt.

Derek Smith, Kirk Road, Columbiana, vs. Kristina A. Field, Crestview Road, Columbiana, et al.; damages sought for alleged negligence, negligent entrustment and agency liability related to 2025 traffic crash in Fairfield Township.

Clearview Federal Credit Union, Pittsburgh, Pa., vs Jared S. Churchman, Vale Streets, East Liverpool, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Columbiana County property.

Autovest, LLC, Cincinnati, vs. Kristin Nichol McFarland, South Main Street, Beloit; collection sought of alleged $14,895 debt, plus $342 interest and $50 fees.

Bank of America, N.A., Charlotte, N.C. vs. Dennis G. Pike, Spillway Road, Lisbon; collection sought of alleged $22,461 debt.

Docket Entries

County Treasurer vs. Kristal Barnett, now known as Kristal Keyes, et al.; East Liverpool parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. unknown heirs, etc. of William Bowers, et al.; Wellsville parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. unknown heirs, etc. of Sandra L. Neville; East Liverpool parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. unknown heirs, etc. of Edna M. Lipp, et al.; East Palestine parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Mark D. Owen, et al.; East Liverpool parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Mary E. Grady, et al.; East Liverpool parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

County Treasurer vs. Shawn Warren; East Liverpool parcel forfeited to state of Ohio, case dismissed.

Wilmington Savings Fund Society vs. Richard J. Holt, et al.; case reactivated.

Court News

LISBON — A Salineville man accused of hitting a woman with a metal baseball bat and then threatening her and making jokes on the way to hospital was ordered to serve four to six years in prison for felonious assault and intimidation.

Johnathan David Messenger, 31, West Street, Salineville, appeared for sentencing recently in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for the second-degree felony assault charge and third-degree felony intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness in a criminal case. He must serve at least four years, and could serve a maximum of six years if the state decides to keep him in prison after the four years. A charge of aggravated menacing was dismissed. He received credit for 216 days served in jail. On Sept. 18, 2025 in Salineville, he hit a woman in the back of the head with a metal baseball bat at least three times and in her hand when she raised it to protect herself, then was threatening to kill her if she called police and making jokes about killing her while transporting her to the hospital.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

–Adam J. Hileman, 45, Brackenridge, Pa., was sentenced to 48 months, or four years, in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree felonies of compelling prostitution and failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer and fourth-degree felony attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. He received a term of 36 months for the failure to comply and 12 months each for the other two charges, which were ordered served at the same time, but consecutive to the failure to comply. Charges of felonious assault, a first-degree felony, and misdemeanor engaging in prostitution were dismissed. He was also designated a Tier II sex offender, requiring him to register his information with the sex offender registration. Hileman had been found competent earlier this year to stand trial. On Feb. 1, 2024 in East Palestine, Hileman responded to an undercover ad posted on a known prostitution website of an adult female and a 15-year-old female and arranged for sexual conduct with both females in exchange for money. When Hileman arrived in East Palestine for the meeting, he fled, purposely striking a police officer with his vehicle in an attempt to get away. He then fled into Pennsylvania and engaged in a standoff with authorities until surrendering.

— Tristan A. Apinis, 40, Cleveland Street, Salem, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and given a mandatory fine of $5,000 for a lesser-included offense of aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony (originally a second-degree felony) and a specification for forfeiture of money from a drug case, for possessing $93 and possessing methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk on July 8, 2024. A charge of aggravated trafficking in drugs will be dismissed and he was ordered to forfeit the $93. He received credit for five days served in jail.

— Preston English, 33, Ravine Street, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for fifth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine, possession of a fentanyl-related compound, aggravated possession of drugs and four counts of possession of drugs for possessing cocaine, fentanyl, oxycodone, clonazepam, buprenorphine, alprazolam and xylazine on Nov. 2, 2024. Charges of third-degree felony tampering with evidence and misdemeanor obstructing official business for failing to come out of a house in East Liverpool on Nov. 2, 2024 when police officers had a warrant for his arrest were dismissed. He received credit for 33 days served in jail.

— Donald V. Weyand, 57, Monaca Street, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 365 days in jail, with credit for 229 days served, leaving 136 days still to serve in jail for a lesser-included charge of third-degree felony burglary, originally a second-degree felony, and misdemeanor theft. A criminal damaging charge was dismissed. Weyand was accused of stealing a speaker from a residence on Minerva Street in East Liverpool after forcing entry and damaging the rear entry door and frame on July 19, 2025.

— Douglas C. Toothman, 48, East Fourth Street, East Liverpool, was sentenced to 270 days in jail, with credit for 189 days served, leaving 81 days to serve in jail for fourth-degree felony domestic violence for hitting a woman in her face and head area several times in East Liverpool on Oct. 18. The affidavit said the victim was pregnant at the time.

— Loren C. Webb, also known as Cleve, 47, Cleveland, was placed under community control for three years for third-degree felonies of illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility and possession of a fentanyl-related compound and fourth-degree felony possession of cocaine for possessing both fentanyl and cocaine in amounts equal or greater than 5 grams but less than 10 grams and trying to take drugs into a detention facility on June 1, 2023.

— Gregory A. Cox, 39, Mechanicstown, was placed under community control for three years for three counts of nonsupport of dependents, a fifth-degree felony, with credit for one day serve, for failing to provide support from July 1, 2023 to June 29, 2025.

— Charles D. Harrison, 29, Boardman Street, New Waterford, was placed on a treatment plan for three years after pleading guilty to aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing methamphetamine on March 1, 2024.

— Christopher J. Maglione, 32, Steubenville, was placed under community control for three years and ordered to complete a term at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center until the program is complete after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing cocaine on Jan. 12, 2025. He received credit for nine days served in jail.

— A Barberton man who recently had his motion to suppress evidence in a sex-for-hire case denied entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

James Allen Smith Jr., 54, was ordered evaluated by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio for competency and sanity after Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam approved the defense request for a forensic evaluation.

Smith was indicted last year for third-degree felony compelling prostitution, fifth-degree felony possessing criminal tools and misdemeanor engaging in prostitution for allegedly responding to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website of an adult woman trafficking a minor female and arranging to have sexual activity with them for $220, traveling to East Palestine on Oct. 30, 2025 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— Richard H. Carter, 54, Bloomingdale, was placed under community control for five years and ordered to pay back all the money he stole after pleading guilty to three counts of grand theft, a fourth-degree felony, receiving credit for one day served in jail. He was ordered to pay restitution of $13,345 for stealing that amount from a man from May 20, 2022 through July 17, 2023, ordered to pay restitution of $18,774 for stealing that amount from a man and woman from June 20, 2022 through June 23, 2023 and was ordered to pay restitution of $ 20,365 for stealing that amount from a man and Bible Baptist Church from Oct. 28, 2022 through July 20, 2023.

— Erica L. Benitez, 25, Brilliant, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for fifth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine and possession of a fentanyl-related compound and third-degree felonies of aggravated possession of drugs and illegal conveyance of drugs of abuse onto the grounds of a specified governmental facility for possessing methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk, possessing cocaine and fentanyl and attempting to take drugs onto the grounds of a detention facility on Jan. 19, 2024. She received credit for 37 days served in jail.

— Michael Vasvari, 42, Hubbard, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for possession of a fentanyl-related compound, a fourth-degree felony, and possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, with specifications for forfeiture of money from a drug case. He received credit for 14 days served and was ordered to forfeit $161 he possessed on Aug. 26, 2023 when he was caught in possession of fentanyl and cocaine.

— Kimberly A. Beatty, 34, Ohio Avenue, East Liverpool, was placed under community control for three years and ordered to serve a term at the Eastern Ohio Correction Center until the program is successfully complete for possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, for possessing cocaine on May 24, 2024. She received credit for 73 days served in jail.

— Schon S. Scott, 60, Canton, was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with credit for 15 days served, leaving a balance of 75 day still to serve for violating the terms of his probation for possession of cocaine for possessing cocaine on Dec. 1, 2024. His community control was dishonorably terminated.