Court News

LISBON — In Columbiana County Common Pleas Court, David B. Heck, 20, Shadyside Road, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to complicity in the commission of an offense, a fifth-degree felony, for intervention in lieu of conviction. He was originally charged with theft, a fifth-degree felony, for assisted in a theft on Nov. 12, 2025.

Ronnie L. Jackson, 69, Steubenville Pike Road, Lisbon, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony, and was sentenced to three years community control with 90 days in jail (70 credited). He was originally charged with a count of third-degree felony strangulation and misdemeanor domestic violence.

Jerry L. Malone II, 45, West Fifth Street, Salem, was sentenced to six months in prison for a count of possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. Malone was found in possession of Alprazolam March 10, 2024.

Ronnie L. McCallister, 50, Walnut Street, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony, and obstructing official business, a misdemeanor two, and was sentenced to 54 days in jail (credited). McCallister was charged with possessing a vehicle without permission.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a status conference hearing was set Aug. 4 and a jury trial was set Sept. 24 for Jacob Dawayne Rochwick, 47, New Castle, Pa., charged with two counts of engaging in prostitution and two counts of 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 money, then traveling to East Palestine for the meeting on Oct. 31, 2025, then making arrangements again in answer to an ad and arriving on April 24 for the meeting in East Liverpool for sexual activity.

Christopher Lee Norman, 32, Ashtabula, was fined $750 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 177 days suspended and credit for three days served, with 25 hours community service, for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. He was ordered to complete a prostitution prevention course and agreed to forfeit $301 to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. Norman responded to an undercover ad of two women on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with them in exchange for $300, traveling to East Palestine on Jan. 29 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Samuel Amadeus Cheeks, 39, New Brighton, Pa., was fined $750 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 178 days suspended and credit for two days served, with 25 hours community service, for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. He must complete a prostitution prevention course. Cheeks responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for money, then traveled to East Palestine on Feb. 18 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Nickolas P. Perez, 34, Newton Falls, was fined $300 and sentenced to 60 days in jail, with 58 days suspended and credit for one day served, leaving one day still to serve for disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and criminal trespass, with 25 hours community service ordered. He must make restitution of $2,700 to the victim. He punched another man in the face during a fight on April 2, 2025 in Lisbon. On Nov. 21, 2024 in Columbiana, he had entered a woman’s vehicle and ransacked it, with some property from inside the vehicle laying outside on the ground and a crossbow arrow broken.

A pretrial was set Sept. 9 for Alvin Stanley Pugh, 46, Etruria Street, East Liverpool, charged with criminal trespass for allegedly being in a condemned property in East Liverpool past the hour he was allowed to be there on June 25, claiming he was there to get his dog out of the house.

A pretrial was set Sept. 8 for Robert T. Dawson III, 39, Avondale Street, East Liverpool, charged with maximum possible height of weeds for allegedly creating a public nuisance by failing to cut weeds growing to a height of 8 inches or more on Avondale Street, East Liverpool.

Karen L. Grimm, 76, Center Street, East Liverpool, was fined $75 for maximum permissible height of weeds for failing to cut grass/weeds at her Center Street, East Liverpool property as of May 13.

Zachary Ricky Lee Cline, 34, Minerva Street, East Liverpool, was fined $300 and sentenced to one day in jail, with credit for one day served, leaving no time to serve for theft for stealing six items valued at $558 from the Calcutta Walmart on June 24.

A pretrial was set July 20 for Waldon P. Brunner, 85, Duke Vodrey Road, East Liverpool, charged with theft for allegedly stealing a wallet left behind by another customer at Aldi’s in St. Clair Township on June 22, then returning and dropping the wallet on the floor, with the owner finding the cash missing.

A pretrial was set Sept. 2 for Nicholas Anthony Degenova, 48, High Street, New Waterford, charged with theft for allegedly stealing aluminum scrap/coils for radiators on April 9, 11, 19 and 28 from NDC in New Waterford.

Jeffrey T. McCain, 51, West State Street, Salem, was fined $150 for drug paraphernalia for possessing a green pipe with burnt residue and a white baggie with a white crystal substance.

Brian R. Davis, 48, state Route 45, Lisbon, was fined $915 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program for disorderly conduct amended from resisting arrest, physical control amended from OVI, marked lanes, turn signal violation and speeding. Charges of obstructing official business, plate light and no seat belt were dismissed. His license was suspended for one year and he was ordered to complete 20 hours community service. During his arrest for OVI, he was pushing against officers in Lisbon and bracing himself within the police vehicle’s doorway on June 22, 2025.

Nathaniel Blackburn, 36, Christian Place, East Liverpool, was fined $615 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program for physical control amended from OVI and reasonable control. Another OVI charge was dismissed. His license was suspended for 10 months with driving privileges granted. He also must serve 10 days electronically monitored house arrest.

Connor William Ramsey, 24, 17th Street, Wellsville, was fined $615 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, for physical control amended from OVI and failure to control. Another OVI charge was dismissed. His license was suspended for one year with driving privileges granted and he must do 20 hours community service.

Travis James Shultz, 42, Mountz Road, Homeworth, was fined $565 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program for two merged OVI counts. A charge of failure to control was dismissed. His license was suspended for one year with driving privileges granted, plus 20 hours community service.

A pretrial was set Sept. 2 for William K. Hopkins II, 60, Hillside Drive, Salem, charged with OVI, physical control and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a bag of unknown blue pills during a traffic stop on June 30 in Salem.

A pretrial was set Sept. 2 for Joshua Balmenti, 39, Indianapolis, Ind., charged with operating a vehicle impaired, tail lights and no seat belt.

A pretrial was set Aug. 31 for Kyler Matthew O’Connor, 23, New Cumberland, W.Va., charged with OVI, OVI breath and reasonable control.

Jill Elaine Evick, 56, Parsons, W.Va., was fined $565 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 175 days suspended and credit for five days served, with 25 hours community service for physical control. Her license was suspended for 180 days.

Six counts of failure to file city income tax return against Nathan M. Smith, no age provided, Auburn Street, East Liverpool, were dismissed. He was accused of failing to file East Liverpool City income tax returns from 2020 through 2025.

Danielle Rauch, 30, Hunter Camp Road, Lisbon, was fined $1,595 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 175 days suspended, leaving a balance of five days to serve in jail for operating a vehicle impaired second offense, driving under suspension and failure to display valid sticker. She was ordered to complete 40 hours community service and must serve 18 days electronically monitored house arrest. Her license was suspended for two years, with driving privileges granted.

David Craig Valent, 53, Rochester, Pa., was fined $750 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools, with 20 hours community service. He already completed an education course. Valent responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for $80, then traveled to East Palestine on Feb. 11 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.

Kenneth Joseph Buzzard, 76, Pittsburgh, Pa., was fined $500 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for engaging in prostitution. A charge of possessing criminal tools was dismissed and he was ordered to complete a prostitution prevention course. Buzzard responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with women in exchange for $150, then traveled to East Palestine on Nov 11, 2025 for the meeting.

A pretrial was set Aug. 3 for Nicola D Strother, 41, First Street, Beloit, charged with theft for allegedly stealing a package from a woman’s porch on U.S. Route 62 in Knox Township and then bringing it back and dropping it at the end of a driveway on Westville Lake Road on April 30.

A pretrial was set Aug. 26 for Virginia M. Christy-Keener, 72, Moore Street, East Liverpool, charged with theft for allegedly stealing $758 worth of items from the Salem Walmart while working with another woman on June 28.

Jacob J. Fullerton, 25, West California Avenue, Sebring, was fined $1,075 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 80 days suspended, leaving 10 days still to serve in jail for two merged OVI charges, open container, and disorderly conduct amended from obstructing official business. Fullerton wasn’t following commands during a traffic stop April 19 in Perry Township. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and his license was suspended for two years.

Britton K. Steiginga, 32, Walnut Grove Drive, New Waterford, was fined $250 and given a suspended 90-day jail term for obstructing official business, with 20 hours community service. He was refusing to identify himself or provide his identification and refused to exit the vehicle during a traffic stop on Feb. 28 in Columbiana.

Derica Charnel Barnett, 37, West Eighth Street, East Liverpool, was fined $200 and sentenced to 10 days in jail, with credit for seven days served, leaving three days to serve in jail for complicity for being the driver for an alleged shoplifter on Feb. 18 at the Calcutta Walmart. She was also ordered to serve an additional 30 days in jail for violating the terms of her probation for a 2022 theft case.

Thomas Glen Reed, 38, St. Clair Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $200 and given a suspended 90-day jail term and 20 hours community service for theft for stealing a generator out of the Calcutta Walmart on March 24.

A pretrial was set Sept. 2 for Alvin W. Carnes, 42, West Washington Street, Lisbon, charged with criminal damaging for allegedly throwing rocks at a motorcycle and another motor vehicle on June 29 at state Route 164 and Mattix Road in Center Township.

A pretrial was set Aug. 26 for Doyle L. Conner Jr., 40, Third Street, Salem, charged with complicity to commit theft for allegedly driving the vehicle after a person stole groceries from Walmart in Salem on June 26.

A pretrial was set Sept. 1 for Frank James Lacey, 63, Georgetown, Ky., charged with drug paraphernalia, expired license and tail light violation for allegedly possessing a burnt glass pipe with an unknown residue during a traffic stop on June 24 in East Liverpool.

Christopher Nelson Read, 47, Coraopolis, Pa., was fined $645 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, with 20 hours community service, for physical control amended from OVI, no seat belt and a turn signal violation. Another OVI was dismissed. His license was suspended for one year. He also must serve 10 days electronically monitored house arrest.

George David Faber, 65, Youngstown, was fined $100 for open container for having an open container of alcohol on June 21 in East Liverpool.