Common Pleas

New Cases

Jeffery Leake, Latta Road, East Palestine, vs. Valerie Huff-Leake, Latta Road, East Palestine; divorce sought.

U.S. Bank Trust Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, vs. unknown administrator, etc. of the estate of Nila Louise Farnsworth, also known as Nila Louise Miller, et al.; mortgage foreclosure sought.

Joshua First, Riverside Park, East Liverpool, vs Brandi Hancock, Morton Street, East Liverpool; damages sought for personal injury claim from 2022 traffic accident.

Docket Entries

Anthony Florie Jr. vs. Kerry Florie; divorce granted.

Lisa Smith vs. Chad Smith; divorce granted.

Freedom Mortgage Corporation vs. Lewis Andric, et al.; judgment vacated, case dismissed.

Grand Jury

LISBON — An East Palestine man accused of multiple drug charges in five separate indictments from 2022 and 2023 issued by the Columbiana County Grand Jury was served Wednesday with the paperwork.

Travis Rhodes, 33, last known address East North Avenue, was charged with five counts of aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony, and fifth-degree felonies of possession of cocaine, possession of drugs and possession of fentanyl-related compound. At least three of the charges include specifications for forfeiture of money from a drug case.

According to the indictments, Rhodes allegedly possessed methamphetamine on Jan. 19, 2022 and June 3, 2022, methamphetamine and cocaine on Jan. 14, 2022, LSD on Jan. 19, 2022, methylphenidate on March 2, 2022, buprenorphine on Feb. 23, 2022 and fentanyl on March 22, 2023. Amounts for forfeiture include $35 and $34.

Court News

LISBON — A man accused of failing to report an overdose death at his East Liverpool residence for several days entered a guilty plea recently in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.

Christopher Hightower, 42, West Seventh Street, East Liverpool, pleaded guilty to fifth-degree felony of gross abuse of a corpse and misdemeanor failure to report knowledge of a death, along with prosecutor’s information for two fifth-degree felony counts of possession of drugs.

Sentencing is now scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 2.

According to county Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino, the deceased was Jessica Chapman, whose family contacted East Liverpool police after having difficulty locating her. Her vehicle was found outside Hightower’s residence on Sept. 5, 2023 and that’s when police made contact with him. She was found in a bedroom deceased and had reportedly died several days before that from an apparent drug overdose, Abruzzino said.

According to the felony plea agreement, the prosecution will recommend a sentence of 16 months in prison for the gross abuse of a corpse and drug charges and 30 days in the county jail for the failure to report knowledge of a death. Chapman was 43 years old at the time of her death.

Also in Common Pleas Court:

— A further status hearing was set Sept. 27 for Melissa Mills, 40, Franklin Avenue, Salem, who appeared for sentencing recently before Judge Scott Washam on second-degree felonies of endangering children and felonious assault and third-degree felony endangering children. Washam granted her defense counsel time to file a written motion to withdraw plea in the case after Mills made a statement denying responsibility for the injury to the child in this case. Mills was accused of alleged child abuse and causing serious physical harm to a 4-year-old child from May 25, 2020 to June 17, 2020.

Municipal

LISBON — In Columbiana County Municipal Court, a preliminary hearing was set Sept. 26 for Robert Kastanek, 40, North Madison Avenue, Salem, charged with felonious assault, a second-degree felony, for allegedly punching a woman in the face multiple times, using brass knuckles while punching her in the face and stomping on her ribs while she was on the ground on Sept. 18 in Salem.

A court trial was set Oct. 15 for Dillon Allen, 31, Birch Road, East Liverpool, charged with assault for allegedly enticing a victim to fight him and spitting on the victim in a gas station parking lot on Dec. 26, 2023 in East Liverpool.

Jordyn Riggs, 20, Verona, Pa., was fined $200 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for domestic violence. She was ordered to complete 20 hours community service and complete a parenting course. Riggs was accused of spraying a man with mace during a verbal altercation in Salineville on July 17.

Codie Wells, 30, North Lincoln Avenue, Salem, was fined $250 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for disorderly conduct amended from domestic violence. Wells was ordered to complete 40 hours community service and to have no contact with the victim. Wells was accused of punching another man in the face during an altercation on April 15 in Perry Township. Witnesses said both the victim and the defendant struck each other.

Jack Dobbins III, 39, Alliance, was fined $100 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 28 days suspended and credit for two days served, for disorderly conduct amended from domestic violence. He was ordered to complete 20 hours community service. Dobbins was involved in a physical conflict with two women with punches being thrown at each other on April 23 in Beloit. A primary physical aggressor could not be determined, the affidavit said.

Dawn Hammon, 57, Cannons Mill Road, East Liverpool, was fined $150 and sentenced to 20 days in jail, with 29 days suspended and credit for one day served for disorderly conduct amended from domestic violence. Hammon was accused of allegedly threatening to shoot a man in the head during a heated argument on March 28 in St. Clair Township, a police affidavit said.

A bond hearing had been set for Davante Jackson, 32, Cleveland, in several cases, but the court learned he was incarcerated in Georgia. Charges included drug paraphernalia, use of unauthorized plate and no valid license for allegedly possessing a rolled up dollar bill with residue during a traffic stop on March 27, 2023 in St. Clair Township and tampering with evidence, operating a vehicle impaired first offense, driving under suspension, no seat belt and improper registration for allegedly removing an item which appeared to be a plastic bag containing a substance from his pants and handing it to a passenger during a traffic stop on Feb. 2 in East Liverpool.

Corey Mathew Gouldsberry, 34, Cincinnati Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $150 and given a suspended 30-day jail term for disorderly conduct amended from criminal endangerment for setting fire to a pile of clothes on July 10 in St. Clair Township. He was ordered to pay $1,200 restitution to the victim whose clothes were damaged and ordered to complete 40 hours community service.

Steven McComas, 54, Grant Street, East Liverpool, was fined $250 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 179 days suspended and credit for one day served, for theft. He was ordered to make restitution of $160 to East Liverpool Dollar General. He was also ordered to complete 40 hours community service and to stay out of East Liverpool Dollar General. McComas stole several Ohio State hats at the store on April 26.

Tiffany Herron, 40, Saline Street, Irondale, was ordered to serve 10 days in jail for violating the terms of her probation for a criminal mischief case from 2021.

A pretrial was set Dec. 17 for W.R. Sean Broadbent and Patricia Broadbent, no ages listed, both Rubicon Street, East Liverpool, each charged with five counts of failure to pay city income tax and one count of failure to file city income tax return for allegedly failing to include payment with East Liverpool city income tax returns from 2019 through 2023 and failing to file an East Liverpool city income tax return in 2024.

A bond hearing was set Oct. 21 for Kierstin Derosky, Wilbert Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with theft for allegedly stealing $200 from a vehicle on April 18 at the high school in East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set Dec. 3 for Nicholas Desimone, 18, Alpha Street, East Liverpool, charged with drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a straw with powder residue during a traffic stop on Sept. 13 in St. Clair Township. He was fined $60 for no seat belt and a tail lights violation.

A pretrial was set Dec. 3 for Nevada Lamm, 22, Harvey Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a straw with powder residue during a traffic stop on Sept. 13 in St. Clair Township.

A pretrial was set Nov. 12 for Christopher Ingram, 42, Newell, W.Va., charged with drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing a silver burnt pipe with burnt material on one side on Sept. 8 in East Liverpool.

A pretrial was set Dec. 17 for Travis Rhodes, 33, South Market Street, East Palestine, charged with drug paraphernalia and driving under suspension for allegedly possessing a burnt pipe with residue during a traffic stop on June 3, 2022 in St. Clair Township.

Nickolas Perez, 33, North Beaver Street, Lisbon, was fined $350 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 160 days suspended, leaving a balance of 20 days to serve in jail for driving under suspension and reasonable control. Charges of operating a vehicle impaired third offense, expired registration and no seat belt were dismissed. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service.

A pretrial was set Dec. 5 for Bud Hull Sr., 44, Purinton Avenue, East Liverpool, charged with OVI first offense and no valid license.

Daniel Mikkelsen, 53, Jimtown Road, East Palestine, was fined $800 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 150 days suspended, leaving a balance of 30 days still to serve in jail for OVI second offense and headlights. A charge of OVI refusal with prior within 20 years was dismissed. He was ordered to complete 40 hours community service. His driver’s license was suspended for one year.

Charlene Makowiecki, 59, Boring Lane, East Liverpool, was fined $800 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 177 days suspended and credit for one day served, leaving a balance of two days to serve in jail for physical control amended from OVI and a stop sign violation. A charge of OVI refusal with prior within 20 years was dismissed. Her driver’s license was suspended for one year and she was ordered to complete 20 hours community service.

A pretrial was set Dec. 16 for Adrienna Jackson, 33, Independence Square, Wellsville, charge with driving under suspension, no seat belt and reasonable control.

A pretrial was set Dec. 5 for Zachary Zabawsky, 22, Avalon, Pa., charged with speeding.

Lorionn States, 25, First Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $50 for speeding.

Jamie Rickerd, 37, Seventh Avenue, East Liverpool, was fined $350 and given a suspended 180-day jail term for failure to stop after an accident and assured clear distance. She was ordered to make restitution of $500 and complete 40 hours community service.

Lalit Kumar Subedi, 31, Akron, was fined $150 for speeding.

Michael Thrasher, 32, Minerva Street, East Liverpool, was fined $100 for expired registration and lighted lights required, with only court costs for a charge of littering.

William Fambro III, 53, East Pidgeon Road, Salem, was fined $400 for driving across railroad crossing, failure to reinstate, driving under suspension and marked lanes.

Steven Tingley, 55, Canfield, was fined $150 for an equipment violation amended from a stop sign violation.

Dylan Custer, 25, Weirton, W.Va., was fined $150 for speeding.

Dena McGurney, 27, Pearl Street, Leetonia, was fined $25 for speeding.