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Common Pleas
NEW CASES
Megan A. Miller, state Route 172, Minerva, and Evan N. Kahrs, Lebanon; dissolution sought.
Megan Kathleen Calautti, Boardman, and Michael Calautti, Boardman; dissolution sought.
Finwise Bank, Chicago, Ill., vs. Charles Henderson, Foundry Hill Road, Salineville; collection sought of alleged $3,592 debt.
HSBC Bank USA, Greenville, S.C., vs. James Powell, Maple Avenue, Wellsville, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought for Maple Avenue, Wellsville property.
Helen Marie Fender, Burgettstown, Pa., vs. Yalco Dealer Solutions LLC, doing business as Yalcars, Warren; damages sought, including restitution of money paid for vehicle purchased from Salem location in August 2026, for alleged claims of Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act violations, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, breach of express warranty and negligence.
Capital One, N.A., Independence, vs. Christopher J. Smith, East Pershing Street, Salem; collection sought of alleged $2,724 debt.
Huntington National Bank, Akron, vs. Diana L. Wilkinson, Parkview Drive, Columbiana; collection sought of alleged $25,193 debt.
SMB Private Education Loan Grantor Trust, Reston, Va., vs. Nicolas R. Ottaviani, Park Drive, East Palestine; collection sought of alleged $22,704 debt plus $1,471 interest.
DOCKET ENTRIES
Stephanie A. Demster and John M. Demster Jr.; dissolution granted,
Trina D. Clark vs. Jeffrey C. Clark; divorce granted.
David A. Byers II vs. Christine A. Byers; divorce granted.
Candi R. Kominak and Gerald D. Kominak; dissolution granted.
County Treasurer vs. Stephanie D. Dutcher Brown, et al.; payment plan entered, case stayed.
County Treasurer vs. Timothy R. Ward; delinquent property taxes paid, case dismissed.
Jamie Mash vs. Bobby Allen Bernstein Jr., et al.; all claims settled and dismissed.
Emily R. Wright vs. Timothy J. Wright; divorce granted.
Court News
LISBON -- A man accused of possessing a stolen wood chipper was ordered evaluated for competency and sanity by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio.
Glen A. Guthrie Jr., 57, Massillon, was in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court for a hearing regarding a receiving stolen property charge, a fourth-degree felony, when the evaluation was ordered. A status hearing was set for Nov. 19.
The charge dates back to April 11, 2025 when Guthrie allegedly had a wood chipper belonging to Asplundh Tree in his possession.
Also in Common Pleas Court:
-- Jacob Simmons, 26, Old state Route 558, Salem, pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, with sentencing set for Oct. 26. The tampering charge stems from an incident on Nov. 11, 2025.
-- Collin Scott Gilmore, 25, Toronto, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, with sentencing set for Jan. 9 for possessing cocaine on Sept. 29, 2025.
Grand Jury
LISBON -- Several defendants were served recently with secret indictments issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury, including two charged with drug trafficking and possessing large amounts of drugs.
De'amonte Spencer Pagan, 27, Columbus, was charged with trafficking in cocaine and possession of cocaine, both first-degree felonies, for allegedly possessing an amount of cocaine equal or greater than 27 grams but less than 100 grams.
He was also charged with aggravated trafficking in drugs and aggravated possession of drugs, both second-degree felonies, for allegedly preparing for sale and possessing an amount of methamphetamine equal or greater that five times bulk but less than 50 times bulk. All the charges include specifications for forfeiture of money from a drug case for possessing $127. The trafficking and possessions all allegedly occurred on April 10, 2025 when the Columbiana County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at a property on Minerva Street, East Liverpool. The search yielded at least 117 grams of methamphetamine and 54 grams of crack cocaine, according to a social media post by the sheriff's office.
Kyle Melott, 32, Frederick-Clarkson Road, Negley, was charged with second-degree felonies of aggravated trafficking in drugs and aggravated possession of drugs and fifth-degree felonies of trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound and possession of a fentanyl-related compound, all with specifications for forfeiture of money from a drug case for preparing for sale and possessing fentanyl and for preparing for sale and possessing methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than five times bulk but less than 50 times bulk on April 30, along with possessing $77.
Also served with secret indictments were:
-- Donald B. Steed, 51, Ohio Avenue, East Liverpool, three counts nonsupport of dependents, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly failing to provide support for three children from Sept. 27, 2020 to Sept. 25, 2022.
-- Daniel Francis Lattanzio, 32, North Beaver Street, Lisbon, fifth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine, possession of heroin and possession of a fentanyl-related compound for allegedly possessing cocaine, heroin and fentanyl on July 3, 2026.
-- Cory S. Witherow, 40, Rose Drive, Lisbon, fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs for allegedly possessing methamphetamine on March 7, 2026.
-- Steven C. Stokes, 47, North Market Street, Lisbon, two counts aggravated possession of drugs, one a third-degree felony and one a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly possessing methamphetamine in an amount equal or greater than bulk but less than five times bulk on Jan. 14, 2026 and possessing methamphetamine on March 6, 2026.
-- Marcia Baumgardner, 56, French Street, East Palestine, fourth-degree felony theft of drugs, for allegedly stealing 30 oxycodone tables belonging to another woman on Aug. 8, 2025.
-- Augustina M. Newman, 53, 10th Street Extension, Wellsville, fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs for allegedly possessing methamphetamine on July 9, 2026.
-- Keith L. Goss Jr., 38, Wood Street, Wellsville, fifth-degree felony aggravated possession of drugs, with a specification for forfeiture of money from a drug case, for allegedly possessing methamphetamine and $604 on May 14, 2025.
-- Kelly A. Stoddard, 40, Lincoln Avenue, East Liverpool, fifth-degree felonies of aggravated possession of drugs, two counts possession of heroin and two counts possession of a fentanyl-related compound for allegedly possessing methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl on Sept. 20, 2025 and heroin and fentanyl on Jan. 7, 2026.
Municipal
LISBON -- In Columbiana County Municipal Court, cases against Shane Joshua Linden, 47, Crestview Road, Leetonia, were bound over to the county grand jury for felonious assault, a first-degree felony, and misdemeanors of resisting arrest and obstructing official business for allegedly swinging a linked metal chain at a sheriff deputy's head and being tased on North Market Street, then refusing to put his hands behind his back and resisting arrest, all after an incident at the Columbiana County Courthouse in downtown Lisbon on Oct. 2.
According to the affidavit, Linden had been escorted out of Common Pleas Court and the courthouse after demanding to see a judge. While walking out, he allegedly told a deputy to take off his badge so they could fight and then turned around and left quickly. A deputy located him in front of the Eastern Ohio Correction Center, which is north of the courthouse and Lisbon Village Hall, and started questioning him about the incident, then Linden took off running and the deputy pursued him. That's when Linden allegedly turned around swinging a linked metal chain at the deputy's head.
After being tased and resisting, it took three officers to get Linden into handcuffs. He was taken to jail after Northstar EMS removed the taser probes at the scene and evaluated him.
Cases against Zachary Shawn Rexroad, 26, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, were bound over to the county grand jury for fourth-degree felonies of strangulation and domestic violence and misdemeanor criminal trespass for allegedly pulling a woman from the couch where she fell on the floor, then got on top of her and began strangling her by the neck to the point she could not breathe on Oct. 7 at an apartment in East Liverpool. Affidavits said the domestic violence charge was elevated to a felony because the defendant allegedly knew the victim was pregnant. He had been trespassed from the property in July.