Grand Jury

LISBON — An East Palestine man accused of uploading videos of children being sexual assaulted or engaging in sex acts will face 18 felony counts related to his alleged possession of the material.

Austin Michael Bowers, 30, North Market Street, was one of 12 defendants openly indicted by the Columbiana County Grand Jury this week. The grand jury met for two days and issued the dozen open indictments and 33 secret indictments for a total of 45 cases. Secret indictments aren’t made public until the defendants are served with the paperwork.

Bowers was charged with three counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, a second-degree felony, 11 counts of fourth-degree felony pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person and four counts of fifth-degree felony illegal use of minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance.

According to an affidavit that was issued in county Municipal Court when the case was originally filed against Bowers, on Aug. 21, 2025, he was allegedly flagged by Dropbox for allegedly uploading a video depicting a child being sexually assaulted by an adult male to their platform. Another company also flagged a video allegedly transmitted by the defendant through their platform which also depicted a juvenile girl under the age of 18 engaging in sex acts with a man. The three second-degree counts of the indictment all stem from Aug. 21, 2025.

The rest of the counts in the indictment all stem from March 18 this year when investigators executed a search warrant at his East Palestine home.

Other open indictments issued included:

— Marcus Lee White, 43, Mulberry Street, East Liverpool, felonious assault, a second-degree felony and fourth-degree felony domestic violence for allegedly causing serious physical harm to another man, striking the victim in the head multiple times while punching him and kicking him, rendering the victim unconscious as police and EMS arrived on March 25 in East Liverpool.

— Terry M. McDaniel, 30, Alliance Sebring Road, Alliance, fifth-degree felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching another man in the face with a closed fist and placing him in a chokehold, causing him to struggle to breathe and speak on April 21 in Lisbon.

— Kazon Latif Carter, 26, Youngstown, third-degree felony strangulation and misdemeanors of theft, domestic violence and criminal damaging for allegedly grabbing a woman by the throat and beginning to strangle her on Sept. 15, 2025 in East Liverpool. The affidavit said the victim struggled to breathe and blacked out. Carter was also yelling at her and after the assault, he slammed his head against the wall, breaking a large hole in the drywall. He also allegedly stole her cell phone.

— Kevin S. Neely, 44, state Route 45, Lisbon, second-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, and fourth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine and domestic violence for allegedly spitting on a woman several times, pushing her several times at one point against a glass door, throwing a bottle of soda at her and threatening her on Feb. 17 in Lisbon. He also allegedly possessed methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than five times bulk but less than 50 times bulk and 1 to 5 grams cocaine.

— Amber Price Yatro, 55, Bloomfield Road, East Liverpool, breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly breaking into a man’s storage unit in St. Clair Township by prying open the wall between her unit and his to remove items on April 22 at Bolt Storage.

— Aaron J. Soxman, 47, Apollo, Pa., charged with fifth-degree felony improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, and misdemeanors of endangering children, operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them-OVI, improper handling firearms in a motor vehicle and criminal damaging for allegedly having a loaded firearm and a child in the vehicle he was operating while impaired on Feb. 13 in Columbiana. He also allegedly damaged a chair at the Columbiana Police station.

— Jonathan Neal Gardner, 34, Duke Vodrey Road, East Liverpool, fifth-degree felony vandalism, fourth-degree felony assault and misdemeanor obstructing official business for allegedly refusing to comply with police orders during a traffic stop on April 22 in East Liverpool, then kicking at a police officer when being placed in the back of a cruiser. He also was kicking the door of the cruiser and window during transport to the jail, attempting to break out. The door was damaged.

— Charles A. DiPalma, 38, Steubenville, theft, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly failing to return a vehicle to a rental company from Feb. 15, 2026 to April 4, 2026.

— Ronald L. Keller, 52, Rochester Road, East Rochester, misdemeanor theft for allegedly stealing use of a rental vehicle from March 30, 2026 to April 6, 2026, with his case transferred back to Columbiana County Municipal Court.

— Reggie Scott Milton, 44, Akron, fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs and misdemeanors of disorderly conduct and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly walking in the street yelling for help and talking to himself late at night on Nov. 5, 2025 in Hanover Township. He was allegedly seen throwing a plastic bag on the ground containing a white substance which was positive for methamphetamine and also possessed a charred glass pipe known as a meth bubble in his vehicle.

— Shawn L. Paulin Sr., 47, Van Buren Avenue, Salem, misdemeanors of resisting arrest and obstructing official business for allegedly pulling away from police officers during his arrest for a domestic violence incident on April 23 in Perry Township and refused to sit after being carried to the police cruiser and tried to jump out of the car. His case was ordered transferred back to Columbiana County Municipal Court.

Court News

LISBON — A Pennsylvania man who had a developmentally disabled client in the work van he was driving when he showed up in East Palestine for a sex-for-hire meeting last December faced his punishment in court Tuesday.

In Columbiana County Municipal Court, Lamorris Bernard Lowman, 37, Industry, Pa., was fined $500 and given a suspended 180-day jail term for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools, with 20 hours community service and a prostitution prevention course ordered.

According to an affidavit by an agent with the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, Lowman responded to a posted undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for money on Dec. 23, 2025. He arrived at the meeting location in East Palestine and was driving a work van, with a client with mental disabilities in the back of the van. The affidavit said Lowman advised “he was going to leave the man in the vehicle while he was inside the female’s house.” Lowman possessed both money and the phone used to make the arrangements.

Also in county Municipal Court, a preliminary hearing was set June 17 for Austin R. Lemasters, 28, Malone Road, Salineville, charged with third-degree felony burglary for allegedly breaking into a home in Yellow Creek Township on May 10.

A pretrial was set June 22 for Desiree M. Walker, 32, South Washington Street, East Palestine, charged with domestic violence for allegedly physically assaulting a man on June 6 in East Palestine.

Dakota Isaac Densmore, 24, state Route 46, New Waterford, was fined $250 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 170 days suspended and credit for two days served, leaving eight days still to serve in jail for assault, with 20 hours community service ordered. He’s to have no contact with the victim. On March 24 in New Waterford, he physically harmed a woman while trying to take her phone.

Adam M. Archer, 49, Canton, was fined $500 and given a suspended 180-day jail term for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools, with 20 hours community service and a prostitution prevention course ordered. Archer responded to a posted undercover ad on a known prostitution website of two women and while working construction at Crestview Schools arranged on his lunch break to meet the women for sexual activity in exchange of r$120, arriving in East Palestine on Jan. 8 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Nicole M. Polen, 42, Fairfield Avenue, Columbiana, was fined $400 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 29 days suspended and credit for one day served, for two counts of disorderly conduct amended from domestic violence and resisting arrest, with 20 hours community service ordered. Polen pushed a man causing him to fall and cut open his arm on Jan. 27 in Columbiana, then attempted to pull away from officers taking her into custody.

Kayla M. Bake, 31, Canton, was fined $200 and sentenced to five days in jail, with credit for one day served, leaving four days still to serve for theft and criminal trespass for stealing from the Salem Walmart on March 27 after previously being trespassed from the store.

April L. Essary, 33, Weirton, W.Va., was ordered to pay costs and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for theft and obstructing official business, with 40 hours community service ordered. She was ordered to serve 10 days electronically monitored house arrest. She’s to have no contact with Duke & Duchess in Columbiana. She entered Duke & Duchess in Columbiana on April 8, grabbed a bag of Dorito chips, ate some, then shoved the bag down her pants. When confronted, she denied the allegation and claimed to have a colostomy bag. During a pat-down, a police officer found the bag of chips and the defendant admitting to not having a colostomy bag.

Jasmine Griffin, 23, Dilworth Road, East Liverpool, was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 178 days suspended and credit for two days served in jail, for resisting arrest, with 40 hours community service ordered. During an incident on Aug. 2, 2025 in East Liverpool, she refused to follow police commands and resisted, causing an officer to be injured.

A pretrial was set Aug. 4 for Brian Scott Noble, 55, Pauls Lane, East Liverpool, charged with animals running at large for five goats running loose in East Liverpool on May 11.

A pretrial was set Aug. 10 for James M. Fristik, 37, Enon Valley, charged with discarding litter for allegedly dumping several plastic garbage bags of refuse near the recycling bins in East Palestine on May 5, with his name and address on a package in the refuse.

A pretrial was set Aug. 12 for Joshua David Ellison, 43, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with operating a vehicle impaired second offense, operating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and loud exhaust.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a case against Thomas Richard Clark, 33, Lacroft Avenue, East Liverpool, was bound over to the county grand jury for fourth-degree felony burglary and misdemeanors of menacing by stalking and criminal damaging for allegedly breaking into a woman’s home on May 16 in East Liverpool. He was intoxicated and was seen driving by her residence several times over several hours. After he was there, he punched out the tail light of a vehicle.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set June 15 for Tanika M. Smith, 46, West Fourth Street, East Liverpool, charged with fourth-degree felony assault on a peace officer and misdemeanors of resisting arrest, menacing, disorderly conduct and open container for allegedly using grossly abusive language while intoxicated in Lisbon on June 6 and had an open wine cooler on the property of the First United Methodist Church, then while being taken into custody, she attempted to pull away from police officers, threatened a police officer and was kicking at him several times.

A preliminary/pretrial hearing was set June 15 for Nicholas A. Potts, 40, Randel Road, Hanoverton, charged with third-degree felony intimidation and misdemeanor aggravated menacing for allegedly leaning over the bar and threatening the manager on May 23, then on June 6, a Salem police officer saw him and placed him into custody and while en route to the jail, Potts allegedly told threatened the officer, saying he would be out in six hours and the officer now had an X on his back.

A pretrial was set Aug. 12 for Robert Allen Endres, 37, Grant Street, Lisbon, charged with two counts of assault for allegedly being involved in a physical altercation with a woman and a juvenile, assaulting both victims and then fleeing on May 10 in Center Township.

A sentencing hearing was set Aug. 10 for Tyler A. Heffner, 22, Chester Avenue, Wellsville, who entered a guilty plea to domestic violence. Heffner was accused of threatening a woman on video on June 5 in Wellsville.

A court trial was set June 17 for Mark Allen Schrecengost, 36, state Route 170, East Palestine, charged with two counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly yelling profanities and abusive language at a neighbor on May 24 in Unity Township and then also on May 27 at the mobile home park walking through the flower bed and kicking mulch out onto the road.

A pretrial was set Aug. 11 for James Leroy Bollinger, 62, Front Street, Negley, charged with criminal damaging, obstructing official business, failure to stop after an accident, reckless operation and slow speed for an alleged road rage incident when he allegedly intentionally sideswiped a vehicle, prompting the victim to stop the vehicle, then Bollinger intentionally struck the rear of the victim’s vehicle. The victim got the license plate of the teal truck which fled the scene, which came back to the defendant. When contacted by police, Bollinger denied being in the accident and claimed he didn’t own the teal truck, then when confronted with the evidence, claimed to be the victim of the hit and run and said he parked his truck on the street. Police found the truck and learned the license plate had been removed and hidden in the cab to conceal the owner’s identity.

A pretrial was set Aug. 4 for Nathan Christian Fuentes, 52, Warren, 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 a woman in exchange for $140, then traveling to Unity Township on June 6 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

A pretrial was set Aug. 11 for Randy Charles Lyons, 59, Beaver, 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 a woman in exchange for $140, then traveling to Unity Township on June 5 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Lionel W. Bechard, 64, state Route 644, Salineville, was fined $150 for two counts of minor misdemeanor disorderly conduct amended from misdemeanors of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The charges stemmed from an incident on Aug. 18, 2025 when he attempted to drive away from a traffic stop and then issued threats and insults in Salineville.

Heather L. Sluss, 42, homeless, was sentenced to 45 days in jail, with credit for 11 days served, leaving a balance of 34 days still to serve in jail for misdemeanor criminal mischief amended from fifth-degree felony breaking and entering for being inside a vacant residence on May 29 in Wellsville.

David A. Heddleston III, 51, homeless, was sentenced to 45 days in jail, with credit for 11 days served, leaving 34 days still to serve in jail for misdemeanor criminal mischief amended from fifth-degree felony breaking and entering being inside a vacant residence on May 29 in Wellsville.

A pretrial was set June 22 for Timothy R. Boggs, 33, Glen Street, East Liverpool, charged with resisting arrest and obstructing official business for allegedly running from a garage into a thicket of woods behind a home when deputies arrived to serve a warrant, was given numerous warnings and was apprehended by K-9 Jimmy on June 6 in Elkrun Township.