BELLAIRE — The Martins Ferry man accused of making a bomb threat to the Belmont County Democratic Party meeting pleaded innocent to a charge of inducing panic.

Geary Battistelli, 67, of 237 N. Zane Highway appeared before Judge Chris Berhalter, who heard the plea and set his next hearing for Oct. 2. Berhalter set a supervised bond. The hearing was held in the Belmont County Northern Division Court Wednesday.

It was later confirmed that Battistelli himself is an office holder in the Democratic Party.

Diane Conroy — the widow of Roger Conroy, who served as Belmont County’s auditor until he died in office in June — was present at the court building Wednesday and spoke afterward. She believes she was the primary target when Battistelli allegedly made a bomb threat to a meeting at Undos. She said this was in July, when the party was in the process of selecting Conroy’s replacement, Anthony Rocchio. Diane Conroy had been suggested as one possible replacement. She said she believed the debate over who would be the new auditor precipitated the alleged threat.

She said she recalled seeing law enforcement at the event, but was unaware of the reason for their presence until later.

“I never knew there was a bomb threat. They had the dog there. I just assumed they were taking precautions for some kind of threat that was made toward Undos, not even the Democrat Party. We weren’t told that,” she said.

Diane Conroy said she first saw the e-mail about two weeks ago and was shaken after learning the information.

“I did nothing to that man for him to want me dead,” she said.

Belmont County Democratic Chairman Phil Wallace said Battistelli is not subject to disciplinary procedures as the charge against him is a misdemeanor.

“He is a precinct committee man from Martins Ferry, and according to the Ohio Democratic Party, the attorney for the Ohio Democratic Party in Columbus, a misdemeanor is nothing we can do anything about. If it were a felony, we could have dismissed him as a precinct committee man,” he said.

Other Democratic officials, such as Belmont County Treasurer Kathy Kelich, have said they did not believe the threat was serious, but that it was necessary to take the matter seriously.