BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio — Holloway, Ohio Mayor Joseph Schaeffer was convicted Wednesday of one of two charges stemming from alleged threats he made against the Belmont County Courthouse earlier this year.
Following a jury trial in Belmont County Western Division Court with Judge Eric Costine presiding, Schaeffer was found guilty of aggravated menacing but acquitted of inducing panic. The charges arose from multiple phone calls Schaeffer made to the Belmont County Auditor’s Office in February, reportedly in response to a recent property tax increase and money he allegedly claimed the county owed to his relative.
Schaeffer’s attorney, Brandon Lippert, argued that his client never threatened violence, but instead intended to “blow up” the story about what he viewed as unfair tax increases, meaning he would bring media attention to the issue.
Schaeffer took office as Mayor of the Village of Holloway on Jan. 1, 2024.
He is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:15 p.m. July 15. The maximum penalty for aggravated menacing, a first-degree misdemeanor, can include up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
