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Common Pleas
NEW CASES
Frank Cook, Lisbon, vs. Tracy Cook, Gastonia, N.C.; divorce sought.
Seven Seventeen Credit Union Inc., Warren, vs Christopher Stewart, East Liverpool Road, East Liverpool, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for East Liverpool Road, East Liverpool property.
Jennifer N. Kraft, New Cumberland, W.Va., vs. Shannon L. Matthew, North Canton; damages sought for personal injury claims from 2024 traffic crash.
DOCKET ENTRIES
Michael Todd Greene vs. Five Star Moving & Storage, Inc. and William McWhorter; case settled and dismissed.
American Express National Bank vs. Nathan Howe; $10,817 judgment granted to plaintiff.
Court News
LISBON -- A Salineville man who fled from deputies after threatening another man in the Spring Valley Road area in 2020 was sentenced to consecutive sentences of 36 months and eight months for a total of 44 months in prison.
Scott M. Haines, 52, state Route 164, recently faced sentencing in two separate cases, with one related to the incident with deputies and one involving nonsupport of dependents.
A jury recently found him innocent or not guilty of first-degree felony felonious assault related to running over a deputy's foot during the July 19, 2020 incident near Salineville.
Jurors did, however, find him guilty of third-degree felony failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer and misdemeanor aggravated menacing for fleeing from deputies and threatening the other man.
A fourth count for criminal damaging had already been dismissed by the prosecution.
Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam sentenced him to 36 months for the failure to comply and 90 days for the aggravated menacing, to be served at the same time.
He also entered a guilty plea to three counts of nonsupport of dependents, a fifth-degree felony, and was sentenced to eight months in prison, consecutive to the other case, making the total prison term 44 months or three years eight months.
Prior to fleeing from deputies during the 2020 incident, Haines had been at a property on Spring Valley Road where he threatened to beat the other man and "smash his skull in" and had allegedly broken pool steps and thrown a thermometer and glass table.
The nonsupport of dependents case stemmed from failing to pay support for three different people from July 19, 2020 to July 17, 2022.
Also in Common Pleas Court:
-- Nehemiah I.L. Clinkscale, 26, Youngstown, was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with credit for two days served, leaving a balance of 88 days still to serve for violating the terms of his probation for complicity, a fifth-degree felony, for aiding or abetting another with the commission of an offense of possession of a fentanyl-related compound on July 8, 2022. His community control was dishonorably terminated.
Municipal
LISBON -- In Columbiana County Municipal Court, cases against John L. Turner Jr., 22, Maple Avenue, Wellsville, were bound over to the county grand jury for first-degree felony burglary and misdemeanors of aggravated menacing, vandalism, domestic violence, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and endangering children. On Aug. 11 in Wellsville, he allegedly threatened to harm three people, then assaulted a woman and in the process struck a child who was taken to Akron Children's Hospital after he allegedly broke into a residence on Maple Avenue and damaged a door. He resisted officers when placed under arrest and had to be taken to the ground.
Another preliminary/pretrial hearing was set Aug. 24 for William R. Payton, 21, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with fifth-degree felony obstructing official business and misdemeanor resisting arrest for allegedly fleeing from deputies who came to arrest him on an active warrant at a Negley property and then becoming physically resistive by using deadweight, pushing and pulling and leveraging himself to not be secured and pushing his way out of the patrol unit, falling to the ground resulting in injury to a deputy on Aug. 15. He already had a preliminary hearing set for Aug. 24 for charges of felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and fourth-degree felony domestic violence for allegedly telling a woman he was going to kill her before going after her with a kitchen knife on Aug. 10 at the Negley property in Middleton Township, causing a minor laceration on top of her head.
Another preliminary hearing was set Aug. 24 for Austin R. Lemasters, 28, Malone Road, Salineville, charged with second-degree felony burglary and fifth-degree felonies of theft and possessing criminal tools for allegedly breaking into a state Route 39, Wellsville home for the second time this month. According to the affidavit, video surveillance showed the defendant arrive at the property, enter the home through a kitchen window by removing duct tape at the bottom of the window and climbing through into the kitchen. He then allegedly removed two blank checks from the homeowner's checkbook, climbed back out the window and left. He was also seen on video carrying a blue-handled screwdriver, with pry marks on the window. Lemasters was already facing similar charges of felony burglary and theft and misdemeanor criminal trespass for an incident on Aug. 5 at the property when he allegedly crawled through a window and stole $75 cash. The victim identified him as a former employee.
A preliminary hearing was set Aug. 26 for Lindsey L. Cope, 39, Lisbon Dungannon Road, Lisbon, charged with fourth-degree felony theft for allegedly stealing a man's 1994 Honda Accord from a Kensington property on May 27.
Calvin G. Brandon, 60, Akron, waived extradition to Florida as a fugitive from justice for a warrant for his arrest in Florida on two counts of sexual conduct with a minor, a second-degree felony. Brandon was also sentenced to 90 days in jail, with credit for 14 days served, leaving a balance of 76 days to be served in the county jail for violating his probation for a 2024 case of aggravated menacing and assault in Perry Township.
A pretrial was set Oct. 28 for Caleb Michael Walker, 25, Cannon Mill Road, East Liverpool, charged with assault, three counts of aggravated menacing and three counts of menacing for allegedly confronting a man on Alpha Street, East Liverpool and throwing a punch at his head on May 24. On July 6, he allegedly attempted to strike two people with a vehicle as they were crossing the road on West Ninth Street, East Liverpool, then rolled down the windows and made threats to beat up everyone in the home. One of the victims allegedly received a Facebook Messenger call from the defendant and he could be heard screaming threats of fighting, shooting and causing harm to everyone at the residence.
Jason Alexander Rodgers, 43, Zelienople, Pa., was fined $750 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for engaging in prostitution and disorderly conduct amended from possessing criminal tools. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and a prostitution prevention course, with the costs for the course credited toward fines. By agreement, $180 was forfeited to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. Rodgers responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for money, then traveled on Dec. 23, 2025 to Unity Township for the meeting, with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.
David Alan Negrin, 42, Aliquippa, Pa., was fined $800 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for engaging in prostitution, disorderly conduct amended from possessing criminal tools and drug paraphernalia, with 25 hours community service and a prostitution prevention course ordered. By agreement of the parties, $100 seized was forfeited to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. Negrin 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 March 15 for the meeting in possession of money, suspected cocaine and a spoon used for scooping out the narcotics.
James David Surso, 69, Norton, was fined $1,200 and given a suspended 180-day jail term, with 40 hours community service, for engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. He was ordered to complete a prostitution prevention course, with the cost credited toward his fines. He must forfeit $140 to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. Surso responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and arranged for sexual activity with a woman in exchange for $140, then traveled to Unity Township on Feb. 12 for the meeting with the phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.
Jayden L. Archer, 22, last known address East Canton, was fined $500 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for weapons while intoxicated, with 30 hours community service ordered. He was intoxicated with a firearm in his vehicle on Aug. 2 in the area of state Route 172.
David D. Murtaugh, 38, Wood Alley, East Liverpool, was fined $100 and sentenced to 10 days in jail, with credit for four days served, leaving six days still to serve for criminal trespass for trespassing in an abandoned property in East Liverpool on June 18.
Ariel L. Durham, 37, last known address Duck Creek Road, Salem, was fined $50 and sentenced to six days in jail, with credit for six days already served, leaving no time to serve for criminal trespass for lying down on the ground at a Salem property on Aug. 12 after previously being trespassed from it.
A pretrial was set Sept. 2 for Jenna June Nahas, 27, East Taggart Street, East Palestine, charged with operating a vehicle impaired, OVI breath and speeding.
A pretrial was set Sept. 2 for Timothy Stewart, 36, Canton, charged with OVI second offense and loud exhaust.
A pretrial was set Oct. 28 for James N. Warren, 25, Canfield, charged with OVI second offense, OVI refusal with prior within 20 years and traffic control devices.
Michael Robert Ashbaugh, 28, Roller Coaster Road, Lisbon, was fined $1,715 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 177 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program, with $500 of the fine suspended for two merged OVI charges, a headlights violation and a misdemeanor of improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle amended from a felony. His license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted. Seized firearms and ammunition were ordered forfeited to Lisbon Police. While impaired, he possessed a loaded .38 special in the center console and a loaded 9mm handgun in the glovebox of his vehicle during a traffic stop in Lisbon on July 21.
Logan Jones, 36, Oak Street, Lisbon, was fined $400 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 27 days suspended and credit for three days served in an already completed driver intervention program for reckless operation amended from OVI and reasonable control. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service.
Moises A. Jose, 35, Ohio Avenue, Salem, was fined $1,265 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 176 suspended and credit for four days served, with three of those days in a driver intervention program, with $500 of the fine suspended, for two merged OVI charges, no license and disorderly conduct amended from obstructing official business. Police were called on Aug. 2 for a reckless driver and located the vehicle at a store on South Lincoln Avenue, Salem where Jose claimed he did not drive the vehicle and did not know who it belonged to, but police discovered he had the keys in his pocket, with video showing him driving the vehicle into the parking lot.