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Common Pleas
NEW CASES
County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. unknown heirs, etc. of Benny T. Peters, c/o Brenda Angus, Fairway Road, East Liverpool, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Alton Street, East Liverpool property.
County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Richard W. Coleman, West Pine Lake Road, Salem, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for West Pine Lake Road, Salem property.
County Treasurer, Lisbon, vs. Billy Rodney Gaddis, Riverview Street, East Liverpool, et al.; delinquent property tax foreclosure sought for Riverview Street, East Liverpool property.
Eric Shawn Ward, Fairway Drive, East Liverpool, and Tammy Rae Ward, Fairway Drive, East Liverpool; dissolution sought.
DOCKET ENTRIES
County Treasurer vs. Lonnie B. Watson Jr.; delinquent property tax foreclosure ordered for Commerce Street, Wellsville property.
Shane M. Wellman and Jennifer E. Wellman; dissolution granted.
Devinne Marie Dietz vs. Akshay Gohil; divorce granted.
Grand Jury
LISBON -- Eric S. McFarland, 47, state Route 7, Lisbon, was served Tuesday with a secret indictment issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury for aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, and possessing drug abuse instruments, a misdemeanor, for allegedly possessing methamphetamine and drug abuse instruments on Nov. 23, 2025.
Court News
LISBON -- A New Jersey woman accused of breaking into vehicles last year and stealing a wallet, credit card and debit card had her case dismissed after she was ruled not competent.
Jean C. Evens, 28, Irvington, did not appear for the recent hearing in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court due to being hospitalized at Heartland Behavioral Healthcare in Massillon.
Judge Scott Washam based the dismissal on a competency restoration evaluation of the defendant and the record, determining Evens wasn't capable of understanding the nature and objectives of the proceedings and not capable of assisting in her defense. Also based on the report, he found that there was not a substantial probability for Evens to be restored to competency within the time period allowed by law.
He also noted the state wasn't pursuing any sort of probate/civil commitment proceedings involving the defendant.
Evens was indicted last year two counts theft, a fifth-degree felony, and three counts criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, for allegedly breaking into three vehicles in the parking lot of Reichard Industries LLC, Columbiana, and stealing a wallet from one of the vehicles on Sept. 29, 2025, also allegedly stealing a credit card and a debit card that day.
-- Alyda Marie Chapman, 32, Waterford, Pa., was placed under community control for five years after pleading guilty to illegal use of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits or WIC program benefits, a third-degree felony. She was ordered to make restitution of $13,806 to the Department of Job and Family Services. The illegal use of SNAP occurred from Oct. 1, 2021 to March 31, 2023.
-- Anthony E. Barbero, 46, Poland, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for third-degree felony tampering with evidence, fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs and misdemeanor possession of drugs, with credit for 119 days served. On May 1, 2025 Barbero tampered with evidence and possessed bromazolam and testosterone.
Municipal
LISBON -- In Columbiana County Municipal Court, Patricia Exline, 48, last known address Honey Lane, Leetonia, was fined $950 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 operating a vehicle impaired and two counts criminal damaging. Charges of assault, open container, OVI and marked lanes were dismissed. Her license was suspended for 180 days, with driving privileges granted. She was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and to make restitution of $1,753 to the victim. Exline used a pair of scissors to attempt to flatten another woman's tires at the Travelers Inn in Lisbon on March 10, 2026 and attempted to kick in the door. She also grabbed a woman by the collar and then by the hair and pulled her down.
A pretrial was set Nov. 25 for Travis Scot Weyand, 38, Dewey Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with violation of a protection order for allegedly accessing the victim's bank account, which he's not authorized to access, and tried to send the victim money from the account via the Cash App on April 11, 2025 in East Liverpool.
Alex Eugene Farnsworth, 33, Ephriam Street, East Liverpool, was fined $500 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 23 days suspended and credit for seven days served, for two counts of disorderly conduct, with one amended from aggravated menacing and one amended from telecommunications harassment, with 20 hours community service ordered. Farnsworth was accused of harassing a woman and threatening to burn her house down on Aug. 30 in St. Clair Township. On March 14 in East Liverpool, he sent numerous harassing and threatening text messages and phone calls to the same woman.
A pretrial was set Oct. 14 for Antion D. Shelby Osgood, 54, Minneapolis, Minn., charged with illegal conveyance of prohibited items onto grounds of a detention facility and criminal trespass for allegedly launching items over the fence at the federal prison in Elkton on Sept. 28. According to an affidavit, Osgood was found hiding in the woods dressed in camouflage and claimed he was getting a ride from Minnesota to Cleveland and got lost. FCI Elkton staff found a launcher and cell phones and tobacco wrapped in socks near where they found Osgood. These items were the same packages found inside the prison fence. Osgood allegedly admitted he was paid to ride along with people unknown to him to shoot the items over the fence.
A status conference hearing was set Nov. 16 for Richard T. Williams, 40, 15th Street, Wellsville, charged with possession of a schedule 4 substance, menacing and a tinted glass violation for allegedly possessing suspected alprazolam pills during a traffic stop on May 23, 2026 in Liverpool Township. On April 12. 2026 in Wellsville, he allegedly yelled threatening remarks at another man from his vehicle.
Latroy Taiwan McMillian, 31, Warren, was fined $500 and sentenced to 60 days in jail, with 58 days suspended and credit for two days served, for soliciting and possessing criminal tools, with 20 hours community service ordered. McMillian posted an ad on a known prostitution website offering sex for hire and arranged for sexual activity with an undercover agent who responded to the ad, arriving on Nov. 8, 2024 in New Waterford for the meeting with phone used to make the arrangements in his possession.
A pretrial was set Oct. 27 for Mark Robert Smith, 40, Foulks Drive, East Liverpool, charged with two counts of disorderly conduct for his alleged conduct in public on Sept 22 in St. Clair Township.
A pretrial was set Nov. 25 for Ethan Q. Stout, 21, state Route 172, Hanoverton, charged with obstructing official business for allegedly changing seats during a traffic stop when he was the driver on Sept. 28 in Salem and repeatedly lied to officers about being the driver.
A pretrial was set Nov. 23 for Charles D. Harrison, 29, Boardman Street, New Waterford, charged with obstructing official business for allegedly providing a false name and date of birth to officers when he was a passenger in a vehicle during a traffic stop on Sept. 28 in Salem.
Bocephus James McElroy, 24, Newell, W.Va., was fined $500 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 89 days suspended and credit for one day served for criminal damaging and disorderly conduct, with 30 hours community service ordered. He was ordered to make restitution of $225 to East Liverpool Police Department. He was accused of yelling at a police officer, wanting to fight, and then kicking the door of the police cruiser, bending the door on Sept. 5. He had wrecked his bicycle while intoxicated and left East Liverpool City Hospital without being treated before the incident with police.
A pretrial was set Oct. 14 for Eric Scott McFarland, 47, state Route 7, Lisbon, charged with possession of drug abuse instrument for allegedly possessing a plastic bag with a clear rock substance and a used syringe during a traffic stop on Nov. 23, 2025 in St. Clair Township.
Teresa J. Flatt, 65, Butler, Pa., was fined $350 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for drug paraphernalia and driving under suspension, with 20 hours community service ordered. Flatt possessed suspected narcotics and drug paraphernalia during a traffic stop on Aug. 29 in Lisbon.
Tyler A. Bartley, 29, New Brighton, Pa., was fined $150 and given credit for one day served for drug paraphernalia for possessing a crack pipe in Wellsville on March 29, 2024.
A pretrial was set Nov. 18 for Melanie D. Pauline, 49, Van Buren Avenue, Salem, charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly being intoxicated and calling dispatch multiple times, including 911, because she was unable to sleep on Sept. 28 in Perry Township.
A pretrial was set Nov. 25 for Abigail Summer Witherow, 27, Alderlick Road, Wellsville, charged with endangering children/operating a vehicle, OVI, OVI-urine results and marked lanes for allegedly being impaired with her infant son in the vehicle on May 5 in St. Clair Township.
Seth Anthony Dillon Sr., 35, North Versailles, Pa., was fined $600 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 87 days suspended and credit for three days served in a driver intervention program for OVI, with 20 hours community service ordered. Charges of operating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and improper passing were dismissed. His license was suspended for one year, with driving privileges granted.