One of the two Rome Township teens accused of complicity to inducing panic and inducing panic, second-degree felonies, back in April appeared in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court Wednesday morning for a pretrial.

Originally pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, Samuel J. Patrick, 18, of 179 Township Road 1233, and his attorney Gene Meadows expressed their desire to withdraw that plea in front of Judge Charles Cooper and the state prosecutors. Patrick’s original attorney, Mike Davenport, had to drop the case due to a conflict.

Patrick and John Pacinhik, also 18 and with the same address, are accused of posting threatening material on social media site Instagram, which the Fairland School District reported as “alarming.”

Following the April arrests, the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, the Lawrence Drug and Major Crimes Task Force and the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s office obtained search warrants for 179 Township Road 1233 (Orchard Drive) and 121 Township Road 1105 (Demaria Street) where storage and media devices, computers, cell phones, weapons, letters, notebooks, ammunition, marijuana and drug paraphernalia were collected.

Patrick and Picinhik pleaded separately and Monday, Pacinhik pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of a fifth-degree felony of inducing panic, one that carries up to 12 months in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set for Pacinhik.

Patrick’s next pretrial is set for Wednesday, Sept. 9 in common pleas court.