Photo by Gaga Vota 18-year-old Larry Allen Harvey appears via ZOOM where Belmont County Common Pleas Judge John Vavra denied his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — An 18-year-old man accused of making multiple bomb threats to businesses around St. Clairsville was found competent to stand trial Monday.

Belmont County Common Pleas Judge John Vavra on Monday denied Larry Allen Harvey’s plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Harvey was arrested in April after allegedly making several bomb threats to St. Clairsville businesses. He appeared before Vavra via Zoom from the Belmont County Jail, where he has been held since his arrest.

“We did receive the evaluation report indicating that he does not meet the definition of insanity,” Vavra said.

Harvey faces five third-degree felony counts of terroristic threats and four fourth-degree felony counts of inducing panic. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Vavra set a plea offer deadline of July 6.

He added that any plea offer would be communicated through Harvey’s attorney, Belmont County Public Defender Aaron Miller.

“Just remember, you are currently charged with five counts of making terroristic threats, each a third-degree felony, with a maximum penalty of 36 months in prison for each, and a $10,000 fine, and also four counts of inducing panic. Each of those are fourth-degree felonies, with a maximum penalty 18 months in prison, and a $5,000 fine,” Vavra said.

A plea agreement deadline hearing was scheduled for July 13 at 10 a.m.

“After that deadline, if you let that pass and want to change your plea, of course it’s always your right to do that until you are found guilty by the jury or the court. But after that deadline, if you want to change the plea, it has to be to the nine original charges exactly as indicated as I’ve indicated today,” Vavra said.

Miller asked Vavra to set bond at $10,000. Prior to Monday’s hearing, bond had not been set while the court awaited a ruling on Harvey’s insanity plea. Vavra declined the request and set bond at $50,000.

He informed Harvey that if he posts bond, he will be subject to an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and may have no contact with convicted felons, drug traffickers or drug users. He wouldn’t be able to consume alcohol or illicit drugs, be subject to random testing or contact any of the alleged victims in the case.

Vavra scheduled trial for July 28. A time was not announced.