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Jefferson County grand jury returns indictments

By LINDA HARRIS 4 min read

STEUBENVILLE -- A Wintersville man accused of improperly touching a young girl and having a nude picture and video of her was indicted Wednesday, one of 14 true bills returned by the Jefferson County grand jury.

Justin Robert Louis Nicholson, 33, of 183 Meadow Road was ordered by grand jurors to stand trial on charges of pandering obscenity involving a minor and gross sexual imposition, both felonies.

The alleged violations took place within a 90-day window beginning April 1, 2022, and involved a girl under the age of 13, authorities said.

Also facing trial are:

— Christopher Shane Zrinyi of 117 Powells Lane, Wintersville, felony charges of retaliation and witness intimidation, plus misdemeanor charges of resisting and failure to disclose personal information on March 29.

Police allegedly tried to pull Zrinyi, 50, over because he'd been speeding but he instead pulled into his driveway, then jumped out of his vehicle and tried to get inside his residence, while screaming and threatening the arresting officer, authorities said.

Zrinyi also resisted arrest and refused to identify himself to the officer, they claim.

— Daniel Lawrence Bocek of 2810 Rear Weir Ave., Apt. 2, Weirton, OVI and aggravated possession of drugs, both felonies, along with misdemeanor charges of driving under suspension and operating a motor vehicle without being in control.

Bocek, 30, allegedly crashed his car April 16 while under the influence of methamphetamine, then told troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol "someone else was driving but he couldn't remember who," authorities said.

Bocek has four prior drunk driving convictions: OVI in Toronto county court in 2020; driving under the influence of a controlled substance in Brooke County Magistrate Court in 2019; driving a vehicle while in an impaired state in Wood County, W.Va., magistrate court in 2017; and OVI in Marietta Municipal Court in 2017.

— Gary Peters Stock of 611 Main St., Apt. B, Toronto, possession of cocaine and illegally conveying drugs into a government facility. The charges are both felonies.

Stock, 52, was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant during a Feb. 24 traffic stop. Authorities allege the drugs were discovered after he was booked into jail and "bragged that they hadn't found the cocaine he had in his pocket."

— Hood Abdularazaq Abuzaid, 20, of Keysville, Va., felony charges of tampering with evidence, possession of cocaine and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, plus misdemeanor charges of illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol took Abuzaid into custody after he crashed his car on April 1. He allegedly hid a firearm under the gas pedal and when a tow truck operator touched the gas pedal it slipped out, authorities said.

— Jason McCarthy, 40, of 435 S. Bridge St., Adena, failure to register a change of address, a felony.

McCarthy, a sex offender, failed to notify police about his address in March. According to his indictment, McCarthy was convicted of rape in June 2001 in Belmont County and is required to register his address every 90 days for the rest of his life.

— Christopher Johnson, 52, of 470 state Route 43, Wintersville, escape and grand theft of a motor vehicle, April 2. Both charges are felonies.

Johnson, an inmate at Eastern Ohio Correction Center, allegedly escaped custody and fled in a stolen Jeep Compass parked at Trinity Medical Center West, authorities said.

— Jimmale Harton of 233 township Road 167, Mingo Junction, having weapons under disability and carrying a concealed weapon, both felonies.

Harton, 31, allegedly had a loaded Hi-Point .380 handgun in his possession April 7, despite being prohibited from having or using firearms due to a 2022 conviction for escape, authorities said.

— Charles Lee Fisher Jr., 41, of 606 N. Fifth St., Toronto, having weapons under disability, Jan. 25. Fisher has prior convictions for trafficking drugs as well as possession of drugs, which bars him from having or using guns.

— Terrance Edward Zerla, 59, of 139 Forestview Drive, Wintersville, and Brian L. Kalinkiewicz, 51, of 210 N. Avalon Drive, Wintersville, were indicted separately on felony charges of theft and receiving stolen property on June 22.

The indictments allege the two men had stolen copper pipe from a Jefferson County property, authorities said.

— Joseph William Spurrier of 1616 Roosevelt Ave., Steubenville, burglary.

The felony indictment charges Spurrier, 32, with breaking into a Cedar Avenue home May 31.

— Jason Lee Arbogast. 43, of 30 Springfield township Road 308, Amsterdam, aggravated possession of drugs, a felony. Arbogast allegedly had 100 grams of methamphetamine in his possession Jan. 16, authorities said.

Also Wednesday, grand jurors amended a previous indictment against James Robert Lemmon, 59, of 436 Murdock Ave., Mingo Junction to include additional counts of domestic violence and felonious assault.

Lemmon's original indictment, returned in December, on charges of felonious assault, domestic violence and violating a protection order, were repeated in the amended indictment.

Grand jurors also refused to indict Jamie L. Smearman, 34, of 419 Darlington Road, Steubenville, on a failure to comply charge.

Starting at /week.