Columbiana judges sentence men for sex crimes against minors

LISBON — Judge C. Ashley Pike of Columbiana County Common Pleas Court sentenced Earl D. Hicks, 32, of Wayne Bridge Road, Lisbon, to three consecutive nine-year prison terms for rape.

Timothy McNicol, the county prosecutor who handles sex cases, said today that Hicks apologized to the teenage victim. McNicol said the victim declined to make a statement in court.

Also today, Judge David Tobin of common pleas court sentenced Brian Styen, 24, of Columbiana, to 90 days in the county jail on a charge of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. He will be on probation for four years after serving his jail time. The acts occurred in 2008.

A co-defendant, Cody Harmon, now 22, of East Palestine, already has served a 90-day sentence in the county jail on the same charge.