Holloway, Ohio — Mayor Joseph Schaeffer was found guilty on Wednesday of aggravated menacing in connection with threats he allegedly made against the Belmont County Courthouse. The verdict came during a jury trial at Belmont County Western Division Court presided over by Judge Eric Costine.
The case stemmed from multiple phone calls Schaeffer made to the Belmont County Auditor’s Office in February, during which he allegedly threatened to blow up the courthouse. However, jurors acquitted him of a charge of inducing panic.
During the trial, Belmont County Assistant Prosecutor Joe Vavra presented testimony from three witnesses employed at the auditor’s office, including Auditor Cindi Henry and staff members Nicole Alexander and Courtney Temple. Temple recounted an initial conversation with Schaeffer regarding a recent property tax increase. She explained that Ohio county auditors must reassess property values every six years, impacting the amount owed in taxes.
According to Temple, the conversation took a distressing turn when Schaeffer threatened to explode the courthouse, prompting her to end the call. “My blood pressure was through the roof. I had hives. I thought I was gonna pass out,” she testified, describing the anxiety induced by the call.
Schaeffer’s defense attorney, Brandon Lippert, argued that his client did not explicitly threaten violence against the courthouse but rather intended to bring media attention to what he viewed as unfair tax increases. Lippert pointed out that Temple’s interpretation of Schaeffer’s words might have caused a misunderstanding.
Vavra questioned Temple about whether she would have responded differently had Schaeffer only indicated his intention to alert the media. Temple stated she would have handled it more casually.
After the threatening call, Temple reported the incident to Belmont County Chief Deputy Auditor Jacob DeBertrand, who sent her home due to her distress. Meanwhile, Alexander recounted receiving a call from Schaeffer soon after, in which he expressed anger and used profanity, saying he would bring numerous family members to the courthouse to “take care of it.”
Lippert pressed Alexander on whether any immediate safety measures, such as an evacuation of the courthouse, were undertaken, to which she responded that no lockdown or closure of the office occurred.
Following about an hour and a half of deliberation, the jury found Schaeffer guilty of aggravated menacing but not guilty of inducing panic. Sentencing for the mayor is scheduled for July 15 at 1:15 p.m. in Western Division Court.
Schaeffer was elected as mayor in 2023 and officially took office on January 1, 2024.
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